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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Stadtvilla1929 Sep 2020 12:51The brine pipe was actually flushed again just three weeks ago because we kept having issues with the system. Since then, it has been running without interruptions or shutdowns, but now the pipes are freezing, and I have these entries in the error log... The company that installed the system has been focusing exclusively on heat pumps for years and nothing else. So we are quite disappointed that the system is starting off like this.
The technician has been informed but is currently very busy.
The technician has been informed but is currently very busy.
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JansEigenheim29 Sep 2020 13:47The heating system shouldn’t really have to work much, especially in a new building. Given the outside temperatures, it should barely run, except for a bit of domestic hot water. Even 210 meters (690 feet) is quite a lot—how large is the house? What extraction capacity was the borehole calculated for? What exactly is the type of heat pump?
I have a 20-year-old existing building (heating load over 10 kW) with approximately 175 meters (5 x 25 meters) (575 feet), and currently, I have brine temperatures of 10–11°C (50–52°F) in and 6°C (43°F) out. It is still cycling because it can’t release its heat at 20 Hz.
I have a 20-year-old existing building (heating load over 10 kW) with approximately 175 meters (5 x 25 meters) (575 feet), and currently, I have brine temperatures of 10–11°C (50–52°F) in and 6°C (43°F) out. It is still cycling because it can’t release its heat at 20 Hz.
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Stadtvilla1929 Sep 2020 14:08Yes, we have a newly built townhouse with a granny flat, totaling 220m² (2,368 sq ft) of living space, and 36.5cm (14 inches) Ytong walls without additional insulation. Inside the house, the temperature stays consistently around 22°C (72°F). During the day, it only heats the hot water, but in the evening and at night, when the temperatures have dropped to around 5 to 7°C (41 to 45°F) recently, it seems to have to work a bit more.
We have a Viessmann Vitocal 222 G with a capacity of 7.54 kW. Unfortunately, I can’t provide any calculations related to this...
We have a Viessmann Vitocal 222 G with a capacity of 7.54 kW. Unfortunately, I can’t provide any calculations related to this...
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Stadtvilla1929 Sep 2020 14:58So the heat pump just ran for about 15 minutes to produce hot water, and the supply temperature is now at -4°C (25°F) while the return temperature is at -6°C (21°F).
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JansEigenheim29 Sep 2020 15:08There is no need to discuss this further; someone responsible should take a look at it. This is simply not normal.
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neo-sciliar29 Sep 2020 15:45Stadtvilla19 schrieb:
So, the heat pump just ran for about 15 minutes to produce hot water, and the supply temperature at the end is -4°C (25°F) and the return temperature is -6°C (21°F). That is far too cold for this time of year – or: how old is the house? In other words, have you perhaps recently run the screed heating program through the probes? In fact, your probe is not regenerating. A malfunction is also possible. --> Call a professional.
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