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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Stadtvilla195 Nov 2020 14:49A quick update. The drilling company flushed the brine loop for half a day last week. Unfortunately, there was no improvement. Then, yesterday, an excavator appeared in the garden, and the connections of all three boreholes were reopened. It turned out that the technician from the drilling company had swapped two pipes at one of the connections. This has now been fixed, and the system was flushed again for two hours. In the evening, I turned on the heat pump, and initially, the temperature remained relatively stable at 11°C (52°F) supply and 7°C (45°F) return flow, but it further dropped overnight to 3°C (37°F) supply and -3°C (27°F) return flow. We are supposed to flush the pipes all day today, and then hopefully it will return to normal. I think a 6°C (11°F) difference between supply and return flow is too much.
Could this really be caused by air in the system?
Could this really be caused by air in the system?
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Stadtvilla195 Nov 2020 18:54One more update: apparently, flushing all day didn’t help... After 3 hours, we already have +3 and -2 degrees again 🙄
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Stadtvilla194 Dec 2020 09:59The odyssey continues. After the brine pipes were changed and the brine temperatures still dropped below zero, it was discovered that the Tichelmann piping was incorrect once again 🙄
This has now been corrected for the third time. We now have reasonably stable temperatures in the positive range. However, the temperature difference between the supply and return lines remains consistently above 5°C (9°F), so something still isn’t right here...
Next week, an expert will come and take a look at the entire system...
This has now been corrected for the third time. We now have reasonably stable temperatures in the positive range. However, the temperature difference between the supply and return lines remains consistently above 5°C (9°F), so something still isn’t right here...
Next week, an expert will come and take a look at the entire system...
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Fixmalfertig14 Dec 2020 18:09Hello Stadtvilla19, that all sounds quite alarming. We are still at the very beginning of deciding for or against installing a brine heat pump with deep drilling. I have a question: doesn't the system have to be officially inspected and approved by an independent expert before commissioning? That is the information I received. I was hoping this could help eliminate potential risks, such as those from incorrect installation, before the system is put into operation.
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Stadtvilla1914 Dec 2020 20:07Hey,
no, this doesn’t need to be inspected by an expert...
Despite the difficulties, I still don’t regret choosing a heat pump.
I think the technology itself is great and very efficient. We just happened to have bad luck with the company, even though they have been installing heat pumps for 20 years.
What I’ve learned now is that it’s best to ask the company for references and talk to people about how satisfied they are with their system. Also, make sure to have a ground loop manifold installed. In our case, only a Tichelmann system was installed for cost reasons, which is really difficult to bleed properly. But how would you know that if you don’t research it beforehand...
On top of that, we had the bad luck that a guy from the drilling company installed our Tichelmann system who had never done it alone before. He cobbled something together that didn’t work at all. The sad part is that the same guy was supposed to fix his work but got it wrong a second time. Only on the third attempt, when a colleague helped him, did it finally become a proper Tichelmann system...
no, this doesn’t need to be inspected by an expert...
Despite the difficulties, I still don’t regret choosing a heat pump.
I think the technology itself is great and very efficient. We just happened to have bad luck with the company, even though they have been installing heat pumps for 20 years.
What I’ve learned now is that it’s best to ask the company for references and talk to people about how satisfied they are with their system. Also, make sure to have a ground loop manifold installed. In our case, only a Tichelmann system was installed for cost reasons, which is really difficult to bleed properly. But how would you know that if you don’t research it beforehand...
On top of that, we had the bad luck that a guy from the drilling company installed our Tichelmann system who had never done it alone before. He cobbled something together that didn’t work at all. The sad part is that the same guy was supposed to fix his work but got it wrong a second time. Only on the third attempt, when a colleague helped him, did it finally become a proper Tichelmann system...
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Fixmalfertig14 Dec 2020 22:43It’s good to know that you still find the system reliable! I’m keeping my fingers crossed that everything will now run smoothly without any issues. Thanks and good luck!
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