We have been using our Viessmann heat pump for a few weeks now. So far, it only needed to provide cooling and hot water, but now that the nights and days are getting colder, we noticed that the ground loop pipe has developed a thick layer of ice, especially in areas where there is little or no insulation on the pipe. During the day, the ice melts and drips, making the floor wet.
I thought this was due to insufficient insulation, and that fully and properly insulating the pipes should solve the problem. However, I recently read that while insulation may help prevent icing, it doesn’t address the root cause, and that this kind of ice buildup isn’t normal. Does anyone have experience with this?
I thought this was due to insufficient insulation, and that fully and properly insulating the pipes should solve the problem. However, I recently read that while insulation may help prevent icing, it doesn’t address the root cause, and that this kind of ice buildup isn’t normal. Does anyone have experience with this?
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Stadtvilla191 Oct 2020 12:22Yes, it’s probably true that the system keeps shutting down due to the low temperatures.
If this becomes a matter for the boss, I’m not sure if that will be good for us... The boss is actually a bit of a joker, and we were persuaded by him back then, even though we never really liked him from the start. But since he only deals with heat pumps, and not just occasionally but exclusively, and also learned a lot from the founder of Waterkotte, we thought okay, at least he knows his stuff technically.
That’s why I’m going into the appointment with no expectations, because he will probably just talk a lot again to avoid taking responsibility.
We also contacted Viessmann directly, and they would send a service technician, but only our home technology company can order that, unfortunately not us.
I would really like to have an independent expert take a look at the system and the setup to see if everything is installed correctly. In the end, they might just tinker with it for ages, while maybe something is simply assembled incorrectly.
I used to work in a car repair shop that was a competence center for eastern Germany. All the Skoda dealers who couldn’t find a fault themselves sent the cars to us. Sometimes it’s really helpful when a third party checks what the first two didn’t notice...
If this becomes a matter for the boss, I’m not sure if that will be good for us... The boss is actually a bit of a joker, and we were persuaded by him back then, even though we never really liked him from the start. But since he only deals with heat pumps, and not just occasionally but exclusively, and also learned a lot from the founder of Waterkotte, we thought okay, at least he knows his stuff technically.
That’s why I’m going into the appointment with no expectations, because he will probably just talk a lot again to avoid taking responsibility.
We also contacted Viessmann directly, and they would send a service technician, but only our home technology company can order that, unfortunately not us.
I would really like to have an independent expert take a look at the system and the setup to see if everything is installed correctly. In the end, they might just tinker with it for ages, while maybe something is simply assembled incorrectly.
I used to work in a car repair shop that was a competence center for eastern Germany. All the Skoda dealers who couldn’t find a fault themselves sent the cars to us. Sometimes it’s really helpful when a third party checks what the first two didn’t notice...
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Stadtvilla191 Oct 2020 12:41So the cables do not lie directly bare against each other, but as shown in the pictures, there is space between them.
I don’t remember exactly, but are all your heating circuits fully open and any existing bypass valve closed? You don’t have an ERR, but is there enough flow? That would explain the cycling. Also, check the hot water settings. 42°C (108°F) is good for efficiency with a switch-on temperature of 40°C (104°F) running all day, but it could also explain the cycling.
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Stadtvilla191 Oct 2020 13:46What would be a good hot water temperature? I think no one has changed it because when we first moved in, the electric immersion heater was still used to produce hot water. This was to keep electricity costs low.
During the day, there aren’t actually that many cycles; they mostly occur at night.
From what you’re describing, it’s probably set up that way. I’m not sure about the continuous flow, but according to the technician, all the values are fine.
Well, the manager is coming to check it in a few days... Still annoying.
During the day, there aren’t actually that many cycles; they mostly occur at night.
From what you’re describing, it’s probably set up that way. I’m not sure about the continuous flow, but according to the technician, all the values are fine.
Well, the manager is coming to check it in a few days... Still annoying.
So, you have a heating circuit distributor. Check how the Taccosetters are set and note the values. Then open everything fully.
Do you have a bypass valve? If so, close it completely.
It’s possible to heat the domestic hot water twice a day, for example in the morning and evening. This way, it doesn’t need to be heated continuously during the day. The exception is shift work or similar schedules.
You can set the temperature to around 46°C (115°F) and then lower the reheating temperature to 40°C (104°F). This prevents the heat pump from starting every time hot water is drawn.
However, this does not solve the issue of low brine temperature but may help reduce frequent cycling.
Do you have a bypass valve? If so, close it completely.
It’s possible to heat the domestic hot water twice a day, for example in the morning and evening. This way, it doesn’t need to be heated continuously during the day. The exception is shift work or similar schedules.
You can set the temperature to around 46°C (115°F) and then lower the reheating temperature to 40°C (104°F). This prevents the heat pump from starting every time hot water is drawn.
However, this does not solve the issue of low brine temperature but may help reduce frequent cycling.
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neo-sciliar1 Oct 2020 16:10Joedreck schrieb:
So you have a heating circuit manifold. Check how the Taco setters are adjusted and note the values. Then open everything fully.
Do you have a bypass valve? If yes, close it completely.
Domestic hot water can be charged twice a day, for example in the morning and evening. Then it doesn’t need to be heated during the day. The exception would be shift work or similar.
Set the temperature to around 46 degrees Celsius (115°F) and the reheating temperature down to 40 degrees Celsius (104°F). This way, the heat pump won’t start up every time there is a small demand.
However, this does not solve the low brine temperature issue but may reduce the frequent cycling. In my opinion, the question is: Does it cycle so much because the brine temperatures are low (shutdown due to error), or are the brine temperatures low because it has been running so much? Chicken or egg?
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