Water heater for 177gal jetted tub

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captain8

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I'm upgrading my larger bath tub to a 177gal massive jetted tub, hopefully today if the wife and I can get it up the stairs. Now I'm concerned on how I'm going to be able to get enough hot water for this thing. We have a pretty decent water heater maybe 70 gal, but here's the twist, out HVAC is a water furnace which is plumbed into the hot water tank and somehow provides hot water as a byproduct. Now my family of 3 have never had any issues with running out of hot water but also never tried to fill 177gal or anything really.

Anyone have any insight to how a water furnace connects to the hot water tank? Quick glance it seems like the water furnace comes into the pressure valve and out the drain valve but I'm not sure if the water from the furnace mixes with the hot water from the tank or if there's some copper piping inside the tank and it just warms the water in a separate loop. Also not too sure if it only helps when the AC is on or if constantly flowing.

Regardless if it doesn't provide enough hot water, what's the best solution for me to get plenty of hot water to full the tub? Add a tankless heater on the hot line by the tub? Add a tankless heater at the main water heater with some switch by the tub to turn on only when I use the tub?

Also home is electric only.

1 more question. When I removed the original tub (house built in 2008) there's a half wall separating my tub from the toilet, inside that wall there's 1.5 or 2" PVC pipe that's an n and just goes back down. Without ripping out my subfloor I can't tell if it's actual plumbing or just to help support the wall.
 

captain8

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Well I'm able to fill it almost 3/4 before it gets cold, just enough to cover the jets so I can turn it on. So now I'm wondering if I could get an electric tankless water heater and run it at a lower temp than the hot water tank so it turns on only when the tank runs low. Say I set the tank to 130 I can set the tankless to 115 and hopefully get 105ish temps at the tub. Alternatively I could run some inline tub heater like some jetted tubs have or even a hot tub type heater but both would require running electrical to the tub.

Because of the hvac I don't see running 2 tanks as an option or even getting a larger tank as it's not cost effective.

BTW those pvc pipes were plumbing for roof vent.
 

Sylvan

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You do know the weight of the water (not including the tub) weighs 1,476 pounds

What is the bearing weight of your floors?

Also PVC exposed to direct sunlight becomes brittle therefore most decent plumbers do not use PVC as a vent terminal without protecting the plastic
 

Reach4

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Is your "water furnace" supplied with gas or oil? Reading your post, I was thinking of what is commonly called a boiler for hydronic heating. But I then started wondering if you had some kind of all-electric heat pump.
 

Fitter30

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Is your "water furnace" supplied with gas or oil? Reading your post, I was thinking of what is commonly called a boiler for hydronic heating. But I then started wondering if you had some kind of all-electric heat pump.
Water furnace is a brand of geo thermal heat pump that has a option of using waste heat from the refrigeration cycle for dhw.
 

Fitter30

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There is no reasonable way to heat 150 gallons of water to 105° in a short time. Electric would take 58kw@240vac = 199k btu's = 263 amps at 220vac. A lp fired tankless water heater 199k would work. It would take a tank piping and heater. Would need some info coldest incoming water and gpm needed.
 
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