Comparing heat strips to hydro air

[mchild]

I have been considering different setups for when I need to replace the heating and cooling equipment for the first floor of my home. In addition to electricity, I have fuel oil and propane on my property as fuel sources.

One system I have been considering is a hydro coil as the supplemental heat to a high efficiency heat pump. I havie been looking at a system such as Apollo where the domestic hot water and the hydro are heated with one unit and tank. I would heat the water using fuel oil. The cooling demands are 31,000 btus and the heating is 45,000 btus, so a three ton heat pump will need a fair amount of supplemental heat.

I am trying to figure out the cost comparisons of providing for the supplemental heat of using heat strips as compared to the hydro system. The heat strips are relatively inexpensive on the initial purchase and installation, but cost more to provide heat. The cost of the installed equipment is fairly easy to determine and so is the operation.

Comparatively, the cost of the hydro system seems to be substantially higher on the front end with not only having to have a specific hot water heater, but also the coil system in the air handler and, I assume, a circulation pump for the water through the coil.

I am assuming the cost of heating the water to be the fuel oil, the electricity for the injector at around 7 amps, and the watet circulation pump at around 5 amps (I am not sure if this is an accurate amp draw for a water circulation pump).

Are there other costs that I should be considering such as annual maintenance for the circulation pump and coil for scaling? Should I assume that I would need to filter the water (well water) before it enters the heater? Are there other costs?

Many thanks,

Mark

[beenthere]

Electricy for the injector ?

Your amp draw for the circ is way high.

[mchild]

beenthere,

I may be using the terminology more common to motor vehicles. What I mean by "injector" is the pump that pressurizes and injects the fuel oil into the burner. My current oil fired hot air furnace has a 7.4 amp rating on that pump.

What is a more accurate amp draw for the water circulation pump?

Thanks,

Mark

[beenthere]

For the circ, depends on teh size circ you need, .6 to .9 amp.

The oil burner motor won't draw 7 amp either, maybe 5 or 6.

A new oil burner even less.

[mchild]

Thanks beenthere.

[johnsp]

The apollo was gas heated I believe. Yo might want to look at triangle tube. They have the elite oil fired combo tank. Bradforwhite and a few other WH makers have combo oil fired WH. Just don't expect a long life with a water heater.