Score.

Originally Posted by alloy2

The large blue insulated tank is an indirect hot water heater with a 60 gallon capacity, my original thought was to install a electric heating element from the bottom of the tank. Know now that I can heat the tank from an outside source is even better.

The outside source could be a wood fired, waste cooking oil fired heater.

It's hard to say about re-using those ones once they hit the junk pile. I had a nice one come in about a month ago but it was a working pull. The plumber's customer had decided to switch from fuel oil to propane as their primary heat & hot water energy source. That's really more the exception than the rule though. The Boiler Mates usually get swapped out because they have hit end of life after 20 + years in service.



Sometimes the heat exchanger is solidly plugged up with minerals on the inside. All depends on the chemistry of the water they are heating.

Sometimes you pull the heat exchanger and it's all plugged up with black mud like stuff on the outside where it's been in contact with the boiler water all those years. Worst ones are where they added non-toxic anti freeze to the heating system. What a mess.

Not saying that you shouldn't re-purpose a boiler mate but it might be a lot of time & trouble for what you gain. You know ... projects pile up, one hits a snag somewhere, gets distracted with something else, and the project never gets completed. Unfinished business is bad for one's self confidence. It feeds on itself to a point where nothing gets done. ( Especially at our age cause we're running out of time. )

It's a quick and easy job to scrap one out though. Pay careful attention to everything it's made from. You might like what you find.