Hello, I have waste cold

Definingsound · 07-24-14, 07:59 AM

The water coming out of my tap is always cold, even in the height of the summer. I live so close to Lake Ontario, which is such a cold Lake, that the water will always be cool. I would like to connect a "radiator" to my cold water system to be able to cool down my house, similar to an air-conditioner, using the "waste cold", from the tap.

Daox · 07-24-14, 08:10 AM

Welcome to the site Definingsound.

How cold is this cold water?

Piwoslaw · 07-24-14, 02:36 PM

If you are planning on just using water from the city's waterworks, then I see 2 potential issues:

You will need quite a volume of water, so your meter will be spinning fast.
Once the water has taken some heat, you will need to utilize it (it would be a waste to just dump it).

In theory, slightly warmer but otherwise unused water could be returned to the city plumbing, but no one will certify something like that

This close to the lake I assume that ground water is pretty shallow, so you wouldn't have to dig too deep to bury an underground coil.

randen · 07-24-14, 03:11 PM

Definingsound

I'll save you a little work. I've tried the cool water through a radiator ( fan coil, air handler, radiator with a fan behind). It doesn't function so well. The water needs to be about 1-5 deg.C to be effective. I circulated 12 deg.C water though a large fan coil and it did cool the room, but the humidity was still there. It felt uncomfortable.

The temp. of the heat-exchanger (radiator) needs to be quite cold to wring the moisture out of the air.

The best bang for the buck is of coarse is a mini split. Or better a geo heat pump. Study up here you can DIY.

Randen

Mikesolar · 07-25-14, 07:03 AM

If you are right on the water you can do it but as Randen says, the water needs to be quite cold if you want proper de-humidification. If the incoming water is above 5C, you can get cooling but not enough de-humidification and a heat pump may be necessary to bring the temp down some.
Also, if you are using city water, be aware that it is illegal to use and dump city water in Toronto, even through a heat pump.
If you need help, let me know as I am in Toronto too.

07-24-14, 07:59 AM	#1
Definingsound Lurking Renovator Join Date: Jul 2014 Location: T dot Posts: 1 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Hello, I have waste cold The water coming out of my tap is always cold, even in the height of the summer. I live so close to Lake Ontario, which is such a cold Lake, that the water will always be cool. I would like to connect a "radiator" to my cold water system to be able to cool down my house, similar to an air-conditioner, using the "waste cold", from the tap.

07-24-14, 08:10 AM	#2
Daox Administrator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Germantown, WI Posts: 5,525 Thanks: 1,162 Thanked 374 Times in 305 Posts	Welcome to the site Definingsound. How cold is this cold water? __________________ Current project - To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. & To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

07-24-14, 02:36 PM	#3
Piwoslaw Super Moderator Join Date: May 2009 Location: Warsaw, Poland Posts: 961 Thanks: 188 Thanked 110 Times in 86 Posts	If you are planning on just using water from the city's waterworks, then I see 2 potential issues: You will need quite a volume of water, so your meter will be spinning fast. Once the water has taken some heat, you will need to utilize it (it would be a waste to just dump it). In theory, slightly warmer but otherwise unused water could be returned to the city plumbing, but no one will certify something like that This close to the lake I assume that ground water is pretty shallow, so you wouldn't have to dig too deep to bury an underground coil. __________________ Ecorenovation - the bottomless piggy bank that tries to tame the energy hog.

07-24-14, 03:11 PM	#4
randen Uber EcoRenovator Join Date: Apr 2011 Location: Strathroy Ontario Canada Posts: 657 Thanks: 9 Thanked 191 Times in 129 Posts	Definingsound I'll save you a little work. I've tried the cool water through a radiator ( fan coil, air handler, radiator with a fan behind). It doesn't function so well. The water needs to be about 1-5 deg.C to be effective. I circulated 12 deg.C water though a large fan coil and it did cool the room, but the humidity was still there. It felt uncomfortable. The temp. of the heat-exchanger (radiator) needs to be quite cold to wring the moisture out of the air. The best bang for the buck is of coarse is a mini split. Or better a geo heat pump. Study up here you can DIY. Randen

07-25-14, 07:03 AM	#5
Mikesolar Master EcoRenovator Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Toronto Posts: 958 Thanks: 40 Thanked 158 Times in 150 Posts	If you are right on the water you can do it but as Randen says, the water needs to be quite cold if you want proper de-humidification. If the incoming water is above 5C, you can get cooling but not enough de-humidification and a heat pump may be necessary to bring the temp down some. Also, if you are using city water, be aware that it is illegal to use and dump city water in Toronto, even through a heat pump. If you need help, let me know as I am in Toronto too.