ᐅ Heating system failure caused by ammonia from the drainage system
Created on: 17 Jun 2019 12:23
L
Lorenz-AKUL
Lorenz-AKU17 Jun 2019 12:23Hello,
we built an Okal house before 2017 with a Tecalor 404 eco heat pump. This year, 2019, the first service by Tecalor (under a maintenance contract) was due in April. Coincidentally, about two weeks before the service date, our heating system repeatedly showed errors related to the refrigerant.
When the technician from Tecalor visited us at the end of April, he found damage to the heating system caused by ammonia flowing back from the duct (according to the Tecalor employee). This ammonia entered the house connection room due to dried-out funnel traps and the absence of a trap and corroded the copper pipes and motors.
After several weeks, when we asked Tecalor when the repair would take place, we received an email stating that a repair was not possible and that a full replacement of the heat pump would be required at our expense.
We passed this information to DFH, and after a few weeks—as we have already become accustomed to from DFH (Okal)—we received their response. They claimed that the system failed due to our own negligence because we had neglected to regularly fill the funnel traps with water (which was never mentioned to us during handover). The missing trap was not addressed at all.
Now, I would like to ask the users of this forum:
Has anyone had similar experiences with their heating system?
Who among you homeowners has to regularly fill the funnel traps in the house connection room to prevent damage to the heating system?
Furthermore, I would be interested to know if anyone can tell me whether this system was connected correctly at all?
A funnel trap was installed on the expansion vessel, another funnel trap under an Optiline filling valve, but the condensate drain from the Tecalor heat pump was connected directly to the sewage line without a trap.
In my layman's opinion, I would say that a trap placed directly at the floor above the sewage inlet would have been sufficient, into which condensate water from both the expansion vessel and the Optiline filling valve, as well as from the heating system’s condensate drain, could drain.
I am attaching a few photos of the installation by Fehl and Sohn (subcontractors of DFH) for reference.
I am grateful for your opinions on this matter and hope they will help us decide on how to proceed.
Since the heating system no longer provides heat, there will probably be no warm water in our house as of September. For reasons of preserving evidence, I am not allowed to make any changes to the current installation.
However, I am also not willing to pay for a new heat pump installation, which is expected to cost about 25,000 euros.
we built an Okal house before 2017 with a Tecalor 404 eco heat pump. This year, 2019, the first service by Tecalor (under a maintenance contract) was due in April. Coincidentally, about two weeks before the service date, our heating system repeatedly showed errors related to the refrigerant.
When the technician from Tecalor visited us at the end of April, he found damage to the heating system caused by ammonia flowing back from the duct (according to the Tecalor employee). This ammonia entered the house connection room due to dried-out funnel traps and the absence of a trap and corroded the copper pipes and motors.
After several weeks, when we asked Tecalor when the repair would take place, we received an email stating that a repair was not possible and that a full replacement of the heat pump would be required at our expense.
We passed this information to DFH, and after a few weeks—as we have already become accustomed to from DFH (Okal)—we received their response. They claimed that the system failed due to our own negligence because we had neglected to regularly fill the funnel traps with water (which was never mentioned to us during handover). The missing trap was not addressed at all.
Now, I would like to ask the users of this forum:
Has anyone had similar experiences with their heating system?
Who among you homeowners has to regularly fill the funnel traps in the house connection room to prevent damage to the heating system?
Furthermore, I would be interested to know if anyone can tell me whether this system was connected correctly at all?
A funnel trap was installed on the expansion vessel, another funnel trap under an Optiline filling valve, but the condensate drain from the Tecalor heat pump was connected directly to the sewage line without a trap.
In my layman's opinion, I would say that a trap placed directly at the floor above the sewage inlet would have been sufficient, into which condensate water from both the expansion vessel and the Optiline filling valve, as well as from the heating system’s condensate drain, could drain.
I am attaching a few photos of the installation by Fehl and Sohn (subcontractors of DFH) for reference.
I am grateful for your opinions on this matter and hope they will help us decide on how to proceed.
Since the heating system no longer provides heat, there will probably be no warm water in our house as of September. For reasons of preserving evidence, I am not allowed to make any changes to the current installation.
However, I am also not willing to pay for a new heat pump installation, which is expected to cost about 25,000 euros.
Well, this is clearly a case for a lawyer.
How is anyone supposed to assess the connection of your heating system here?
For example, it is unclear to me why and what exactly is connected to the wastewater system (except for the third picture showing the drinking water). A heating system should be a closed system – but the flow temperature in your setup seems different, or not professionally done – who really knows.
How is anyone supposed to assess the connection of your heating system here?
For example, it is unclear to me why and what exactly is connected to the wastewater system (except for the third picture showing the drinking water). A heating system should be a closed system – but the flow temperature in your setup seems different, or not professionally done – who really knows.
L
Lorenz-AKU17 Jun 2019 12:40Thank you for your reply.
In the fourth picture, one of the funnel traps attached to the expansion tank can be seen.
Pictures one and two show the connection of this trap to the drain pipe, which runs behind our heating system.
Picture three shows the condensate drain from the heating unit, which is connected directly to the drain pipe.
Pictures five and six show the trap hanging under the automatic filling valve and how it is connected to the drain.
I’m not looking for definitive statements here, but rather experiences and opinions. Perhaps someone has encountered a similar issue, although my internet search so far has been unsuccessful. Or maybe other homeowners have been advised to regularly fill their funnel traps (whatever “regularly” means – an undefined time period).
In the fourth picture, one of the funnel traps attached to the expansion tank can be seen.
Pictures one and two show the connection of this trap to the drain pipe, which runs behind our heating system.
Picture three shows the condensate drain from the heating unit, which is connected directly to the drain pipe.
Pictures five and six show the trap hanging under the automatic filling valve and how it is connected to the drain.
I’m not looking for definitive statements here, but rather experiences and opinions. Perhaps someone has encountered a similar issue, although my internet search so far has been unsuccessful. Or maybe other homeowners have been advised to regularly fill their funnel traps (whatever “regularly” means – an undefined time period).
Lorenz-AKU schrieb:
The system was damaged due to our own fault because we failed to regularly fill the funnel traps with water (this was not explained to us during the handover of the house). Here, it’s one statement against another. A case for a lawyer.
But generally speaking: Is it even necessary to be informed about this during the handover? What do the technical operating manuals say? When buying a car (or something else), I am not usually told how to maintain it.
L
Lorenz-AKU17 Jun 2019 13:28Thank you for your reply.
The question is whether it is reasonable to expect a layperson like me to maintain a heating system such as a heat pump. When I buy a car, I always receive an introduction to the vehicle, at least covering the operation and specific features of that particular model.
This brings up another question: Does anyone still have to "regularly" fill the heating system’s funnel siphon? All my relatives, friends, and acquaintances have answered no to this.
The question is whether it is reasonable to expect a layperson like me to maintain a heating system such as a heat pump. When I buy a car, I always receive an introduction to the vehicle, at least covering the operation and specific features of that particular model.
This brings up another question: Does anyone still have to "regularly" fill the heating system’s funnel siphon? All my relatives, friends, and acquaintances have answered no to this.
Sorry, I meant the 4th picture.
That one is for the hot water (at least that’s what it looks like in the picture) and it should always be full automatically without any intervention.
The other one from the refill station is more likely to dry out.
But the idea that something would flow into the room from the dry trap, and in such a high concentration that it damages the equipment, is quite far-fetched.
Does the room have a strong odor? Do you have a ventilation system?
We have a trap in the ventilation system, and it is also almost always dry. Occasionally, when I remember (once or twice a year), I pour something in, but the idea that a dry trap would cause any damage here is nonsense.
That one is for the hot water (at least that’s what it looks like in the picture) and it should always be full automatically without any intervention.
The other one from the refill station is more likely to dry out.
But the idea that something would flow into the room from the dry trap, and in such a high concentration that it damages the equipment, is quite far-fetched.
Does the room have a strong odor? Do you have a ventilation system?
We have a trap in the ventilation system, and it is also almost always dry. Occasionally, when I remember (once or twice a year), I pour something in, but the idea that a dry trap would cause any damage here is nonsense.
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