We are getting an air source heat pump. The electrician gave the concrete contractor a drawing so that the latter could build a foundation. He did that as well. According to the drawing, he placed the recess for the supply line in the front left corner. Then the heat pump was delivered and temporarily placed on the foundation; see photo. It stayed there for months. I then asked what would happen with the black component. The boss replied, "That will be inserted into the heat pump." By that point, he really should have realized that this wouldn’t work.
Now the connection was made. And what a surprise: it is not possible to position the heat pump centered on the foundation because the recess is in the wrong place. Then the electrician installed this part; see photo. I am simply appalled and the chief electrician’s reply was: "That was a communication problem. My employee installed the heat pump way too high. It will be lowered further, about 5cm (2 inches) above the concrete. Then a frame will be added around it, filled with gravel, and then it won’t be visible anymore." Am I being too demanding? It’s a miracle they even managed to anchor it so close to the edge. Will that hold in the long run? The concrete contractor is not at fault. He worked according to the electrician’s drawing.
What can I demand now? Ideally, I want them to redo the entire foundation properly. That means the electricians can't do it themselves. They could commission the concrete contractor, but I will not pay for that.
How did you install your heat pumps?
Now the connection was made. And what a surprise: it is not possible to position the heat pump centered on the foundation because the recess is in the wrong place. Then the electrician installed this part; see photo. I am simply appalled and the chief electrician’s reply was: "That was a communication problem. My employee installed the heat pump way too high. It will be lowered further, about 5cm (2 inches) above the concrete. Then a frame will be added around it, filled with gravel, and then it won’t be visible anymore." Am I being too demanding? It’s a miracle they even managed to anchor it so close to the edge. Will that hold in the long run? The concrete contractor is not at fault. He worked according to the electrician’s drawing.
What can I demand now? Ideally, I want them to redo the entire foundation properly. That means the electricians can't do it themselves. They could commission the concrete contractor, but I will not pay for that.
How did you install your heat pumps?
My heating specialist simply placed the outdoor unit on concrete lintels in front of the house (unfortunately, I don’t have a better picture at the moment). He set the lintels into a concrete bed on site.
The heat pump pipes run behind the outdoor unit through a core drill hole sealed with a ring space seal above ground level into the basement. Between the two lintels, there is a PVC pipe filled with gravel to drain condensate.
The area will, of course, be made visually appealing, and the lintels will be concealed in the gravel.
The heat pump pipes run behind the outdoor unit through a core drill hole sealed with a ring space seal above ground level into the basement. Between the two lintels, there is a PVC pipe filled with gravel to drain condensate.
The area will, of course, be made visually appealing, and the lintels will be concealed in the gravel.
G
gtgeorge7914 May 2023 12:57nordanney schrieb:
What a lot of effort for a simple heat pump. And why isn’t it decoupled and placed on such strange supports?
My two heat pumps were installed like this:
Basically strip foundations. On top of those, big feet for vibration isolation (the heat pumps are then screwed into the rails – the feet stand freely and can be positioned freely left and right). The supply line comes from the rear (not visible here yet). Later, everything will be finished nicely.How deep were the foundations installed in the ground?For frost protection, a depth of about 80 cm to 1.20 m (31 to 47 inches) is generally recommended. Whether that makes sense for a heat pump, I cannot judge. Vaillant specifies 40 cm (16 inches) height for their foundations in their installation instructions.
J
jokersmile14 May 2023 15:02Better ask your heating engineer how they plan to prevent surface water from flowing into the district heating pipeline from above. There are end caps available for the pipe (Uponor Ecoflex). To install these, about 10-15cm (4–6 inches) of the pipe should extend beyond the connection. This is the real issue; the rest is just a matter of appearance.
J
jokersmile14 May 2023 15:07By deciding to cut the protective conduit flush with the floor, the heating installer has essentially removed your choice between financial compensation and chipping away the foundation. There is no reasonable way to fix this otherwise; everything else is just a makeshift solution.
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