Using a water setup for heat

[mail4cobb]

I tried to post this in the general forum, but it said i need 997 posts before I can view that area. Sorry if this is in the wrong place.

I have gas appliances and the gas service is "free". I want to take advantage of this to make addition heat in my apartment. My idea was to get a pump and a transmission cooler or jsut buy one of those over clocker cooling kits and use a large pot full of water and when it approaches boiling point flip on the pump and fan and aim it where i need the heat.

I was wondering how much heat can be received from a setup with water cooling? Second, what is a good pump for those temperatures? I was thinking about using a 12 volt pump for a fuel system and a fan so I can run it on battery power so i will still have heat when the power fails.

Thanks for any suggestions.

[Skiing Squirrel]

I have actually thought about this before... Im no guru in watercooling, but I thought about getting a big radiator, and have 2-3 computers watercooled, and somehow having them all be cooled by that one radiator with one big, but quiet fan blowing across it. I think that would pump out some heat.

[Diggrr]

Appliances don't have efficient enough burners to be used as a heat source for long periods, even those vent-less wall furnaces (that do have more efficient burners) recommend that you use them unventilated only if you have a drafty house. If it's considered tight new construction, you need to install an additional vent to feed it fresh air.
Without the fresh air intake, CO2 levels can increase to dangerous levels, and it consumes your oxygen.

In any event, the transfer of heat isn't going to be more efficient than just puting a small oscilating fan next to the pan of water that's on the stove, no radiator/pump required. I don't think any plastic pump is up to this chore anyway.

I do have one of those flu-less heaters that use no electric, and run solely off of natural gas (propane models available) and it could easily heat my house (about 1,500 square feet, two floors) and the heater's 30,000 BTU. They have little 1,200 BTU models for under $100. They also come with feet so you don't have to install them on a wall, and will heat an apartment easily.
In just the last two months of heating season last year (I installed it late) my gas bill dropped as did my electric bill.

In short, get the right equipment...no need to die over saving a few bucks!