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You are here: Home / Supplies / Power / Endless Hot Water Without Electricity

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Endless Hot Water Without Electricity

By Alan 33 Comments ✓ This post may contain affiliate links*

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Endless Hot Water Without Electricity

Engineer775 has an ingenious setup where he can easily heat water without using any electricity. He made a coil from some copper tubing and placed it inside a stovepipe.

Basically, the fire heats up the coil to several hundred degrees, and as water flows through the coil, it gets nice and hot. After that, it dumps into his water heater.

You can watch the full video below.

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Comments

  1. Jacky says

    June 7, 2020 at 5:58 pm

    My dad had a stainless tank suspended above a wood stove in the basement. The heat was directed by a tube to hear the tank. All the hot water plumbing came from the tank in the basement. You want a bath, you go and fire up the woodburner. We didn’t have a hot water heater until my mom bought a dishwasher. I was in high school. We only took one bath a week. Washed up at the bathroom sink during the week.

    Reply
  2. MGP says

    February 9, 2020 at 10:30 am

    Could you hook this up to an old cast iron radiator or would there not be enough water flow?

    Reply
  3. Scott Hunter says

    January 4, 2020 at 8:19 pm

    Thank Tim, appreciate your effort and knowledge. It gives hope and joy to those of us who find these issues very important. For those who desire to condemn it in some way, if we cross paths during a crisis and you need something to eat because you are starving, or maybe some hot water to bathe, follow me and I will give you rest. I’ll share some things Tim showed me so you also may have hope and joy to keep yourself sane. Give, and it shall be given.

    Reply
  4. gcaverly says

    October 14, 2019 at 8:10 am

    Any and everyway to heat water is a good idea. One never knows when the time(s) come when the knowledge to perform this task will be required, emergency or not. We in today’s society get to use to just having it available without remembering how this task is accomplished, actions and efforts made.

    Reply
  5. Barbara Pilkey says

    October 13, 2019 at 5:25 pm

    I built an outdoor woodstove and put copper tubing i the firebox. I have water coming from a creek through a hose gravity feed. I can barely get the water hot enough to have a bath in my homemade tub. What am I doing wrong? Would the coil get hotter in the chimney than the firebox? Do i need more coil so the water has more chance to get hot?

    Reply
  6. dz says

    October 13, 2019 at 11:49 am

    this is a good idea of using excess heat going up the wood stove pipe to also heat up some water using the same amount of fuel you are already using for ambient heat / cooking. You don’t even have to run it into a hot water tank, just have the flow go to a metal bucket you can then use to wash dishes, wash clothes, sponge baths, etc. Think of this type of system to use when your “roughing it” like in a cabin with little or no electricity, or after SHTF and living conditions become a lot more primitive.

    Reply
  7. Ken says

    June 6, 2019 at 2:47 am

    Response to the people worried about it boiling over… The heat capacity of water is very high. The amount of energy contained in one load of the fuel (wood) that fits in that stove is insufficient to boil the volume of water in that tank.

    If the water was not free to flow, it would boil the water in the copper coil, which could cause problems. However, convection should be sufficient to keep the water moving through the coil.

    I used a water boiler similar to this in Kenya, but it was not connected to a tank. The water flowed directly from the well into the boiler, and directly from the boiler into the hot water line of the house.

    The trick was how long after lighting the fire to open the tap. If you opened it too soon, the water reaching the tap was lukewarm. If you let it sit too long it would boil, and blow steam out the faucets. But it was cooled by the time it got to the faucet. It wasn’t dangerous, just annoying.

    Reply
    • Rick Palmer says

      October 13, 2019 at 11:05 am

      Ken,
      This type of water heater is very common in parts of Mexico. Even as close to the U.S. as the north of Sonora. As you said it is quite safe , and any concerns can be eliminated by installing a tee with a standard pressure pop off valve for a tank type water heater. Thanks for the simplified explanation.

      Reply
  8. Joshx45 says

    March 17, 2019 at 4:27 pm

    Calm down people…

    Reply
  9. Russell Holding says

    November 30, 2018 at 1:50 am

    I like it, you can also use the copper pipe and that comes in a 50ft to 100 ft roll from the H.D. and put 1 end at the top of a wood box and the other end at the bottom of the box put a glass window pain over it connect a hose to it and let the sun heat up the water as it pumps through the coil, it helps to paint the box black inside first.

    Reply
  10. steve says

    October 26, 2017 at 6:47 am

    You would need some kind of way to control the heat. Thermal expansion by over heating will only blow the temperature/pressure relief valve (assuming it has one). Very dangerous.

    Reply
  11. steve says

    October 26, 2017 at 6:39 am

    Steve says. What about thermal expansion? or heat control? overheating will blow the temp/pressure relief valve. Witch better be on any closed system making hot water. Let alone the potential to burn someone badly! 33 year plumber here. I think it needs a way to move heat from the coil when hot enough, 125 degrees tops!

    Reply
  12. Linda says

    March 14, 2017 at 1:46 pm

    One question… How does the water move through the pipe? Does it not need a pump run by electricity?

    Reply
    • Ken says

      September 13, 2017 at 6:57 pm

      There is this thing called convection it can be very useful in a closed loop system. Flow can also be obtained via a small circulating pump ran off solar power and battery. Can also be done via A gravity feed system. There are many ways to do things once you step outside the box

      Reply
      • Daniel Erskine says

        October 9, 2017 at 7:36 am

        Since you are already heating the water..thermoelectric is also an option for producing electricity to move the water.

        Reply
  13. Richard says

    March 3, 2017 at 4:58 am

    On the farm we used a donkey to heat water. It was very effective. now living in the city, we are exposed to all types of challenges. High electricity cost, power cuts, water cuts. we are utterly exposed to urban disasters. we need to be prepared.

    Reply
  14. Richard says

    March 3, 2017 at 4:45 am

    I want to live off the grid

    Reply
  15. Kevin says

    February 15, 2017 at 1:23 pm

    With the tubing mounted inside the stovepipe, and the water being exposed to “several hundred degrees”, I’d be very concerned about the water flashing to steam. That last thing you need in a prepping situation is a BOMB that kills your family.

    Reply
  16. Den says

    January 31, 2017 at 11:56 am

    Terrific work, did the same for Hot tub but wit larger copper pipe..

    Reply
  17. stephen says

    December 26, 2016 at 12:11 pm

    years ago we wrapped soft copper around the exhaust on our jeep used two hose adapters and a cheap fuel pump from auto zone two garden hoses and one water saver shower head and nipple later instant hot shower leave the truck running and it was nice and warm for camping trips

    Reply
  18. Jeff says

    December 26, 2016 at 11:57 am

    Several years ago, my dad set up a coil like this on our wood burning stove in the basement. Worked great in the winter.

    Reply
  19. Beth says

    December 12, 2016 at 5:57 pm

    No, hot water flows up and cold water flows down so you use physics to cause the water to flow as you like. No generator needed.

    Reply
  20. Mike Rue says

    November 12, 2016 at 5:32 pm

    Rene and Ron, your comments are rude. The “over-thinking” Rube Goldberg” comments were out of line. Alan was just demonstrating some possibilities for heating water. I for one think his stuff is excellent. Remember, you can always learn something from everyone, even if it’s what not to do.

    Reply
  21. Mike Rue says

    November 12, 2016 at 5:24 pm

    Wow, what rude comments. Alan was just demonstrating some possibilities. Your engineer crack was uncalled for.

    Reply
  22. Ron says

    November 11, 2016 at 12:16 pm

    Thats not endless hot water. Gou can only heat up whats in the water heater and when you drain water from the system water has to be added. It would be more sensible and efficient to use the wood fire to boil a potf water. Im sure it will be easier in an emergency to find a large pot rather than a water heater and all the pipe and tubing that is used in the video. Typical engineer, by the time they get done overthinking the situation someone has a simple solution. Lol

    Reply
    • Hunter says

      December 26, 2016 at 1:53 pm

      Use your head for something other than A hat rack. Thid concept is simple and has been around for years and yes it works well. Cold eater flows in gets heated then flows to the insulated water heater tank for storage. Not that complicated for most people. Apparently your not most people.

      Reply
    • Wallace says

      January 3, 2017 at 3:40 am

      I think the idea is preparing. If you have it already, no need to scramble when an emergency happens. That’s the concept behind prepping.
      On a side not, a pot of water heated causes water loss due to evaporation, this process contains that evaporated water in the water heater, so no water loss. Also the fire could be used for cooking and keeping warm while heating the water.
      A tip for those that are not prepared. Your house has all these materials built in, all you’d have to do is dig them out and piece it together. That would be an extreme life and death situation though.
      Just food for thought.

      Reply
      • Kathlyne Beus says

        December 11, 2017 at 2:05 pm

        This brought back old memories. The old sauna. An old, old hot water heater, top cut off. Poured buckets of water into it. On the side of the tank there was plpe that went to the fire and rock barrel (it had a divider in it. Fire in the bottom and rocks on the top) . The plpe went through the side up to the top, out the side, over to the top of the tank and turn into the tank. The facet near the bottom provided the hot water . The cold water bucket with a ladle made the water warm. The cedar branches circulated the blood now a quick dash to the lake for a dip or a good roll in the snow to cool down . Old memories.

        Reply
    • Darren says

      February 4, 2017 at 5:56 am

      You are a dick head Ron.
      Go find something to do that will impress us since you consider yourself such an expert. Perhaps cure cancer, then maybe we will consider you as something to recognise.

      Reply
    • Robert says

      March 24, 2018 at 8:45 pm

      One advantage to using the hot water would be for insulation value, water would stay hotter longer ! Heated water would naturally flow up and out when super-heated in a closed system ! PT valve on tank would prevent explosion ! So whats the alarm ?

      Reply
  23. Rene says

    May 26, 2015 at 2:30 pm

    WTF? You’ve got no electricity because of a major storm – so you want to fire up your wood burning L.E.A.F. gasifier generator to run a fuel powered electric generator – but to get the L.E.A.F. generator to fire up and get a good head of heat, you need and electric blower to get it going !?!?!? So where is that power coming from to run the Blower in the beginning? LOL… It’s a RUBE GOLDBERG invention!

    Reply
    • Tim says

      February 28, 2017 at 4:38 pm

      It’s called a rocket stove. Has been proven over and over in alternative energy books. You just need to know HOW to incorporate it.

      Reply
      • Robert says

        March 24, 2018 at 8:51 pm

        Thanks Tim, it’s difficult to explain physical energy to someone without them having some knowledge of physics!

        Reply

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