Recycling engine heat for hot water tank
I'm buying a short school bus and want to use engine heat for the water tank. Last post here is over 10 years old, quoted at bottom. I haven't decided if even gas or diesel, but likely will be a...
Forum Discussion
wildwind.creations wrote:Big Block engines both Ford and Chevy generate a lot of heat especially in heavy MH's they are known to crack the cast metal exhaust manifolds. Headers, larger cooling capacity, air dams to force air through the radiator, all help to reduce the heat. I guessing a school bus conversion when complete will weight 15-18k lbs, that is a lot of weight to pull up a hill on a hot day. If your Eng is a mid 90's or older and a 460 or 454 block you will add about 80 more HP and equivalent torque by adding headers and a FF muffler. What engine do you have in the bus? What year is the chassis?
Please clarify, is there an added benefit to reduce eng temp and less cracked manifolds if I run a "temp" hose to the water heater? I can see how not worth costs just for hot water.
