Indirect with a WBN081 or....

[duncansport]

So i know this is a very discussed topic and ive read as many posts as i can about it...but heres my thinking...

Need to have a better hot water set up then what i got..four person family with two girls and a wife who loves HOT showers. Im using a Lochinvar wbn 081 for hot water and heating currently and the hot water set up is just not cutting it during dec, jan and feb... ( heat exchanger on 80 gallon electric) So ive decided i need to either
A. Break down and buy a locknivar smart tank to match the boiler like i should have when i got this set up. Thinking the SIT050
B. Get a tankless ( i under stand people love or hate theses)

The cost is about the same either way, my concern with the indirect is the hot water and lack of heating while producing hot water. My concern with the thankless is a new circuit and maintenance that goes along with it. Any good points thoughts would be appreciated..

Ben D

[BadgerBoiler MN]

This is not a concern. The real output of the an 80mbtu condensing boiler like the Lochinvar Knight will be 5 times the output of the typical electric water heater. On top of this, the cost of operating a condensing boiler with natural gas vs. an electric water heater in most market runs about 35%.

You have the most efficient and cleanest burning heat source on the planet, you want to use it to make domestic hot water with a stainless steel, super-insulated, indirect water heater with twice the output of a conventional tank water heater and three times the life expectancy.

As for space heating. The typical run time on an indirect is 20 minutes. In the unlikely event that you notice the heated space cooling off, the boiler can be controlled for maximum DHW run time.

The tank should be kept at 140° and a proper mixing valve installed to set to your wife's "HOT".

Tank-less water heaters require another high output gas line, electrical, and performance will fall far below any properly sized and installed ModCon with indirect.