ᐅ Water-to-water heat pump alternative, or is it feasible after all?
Created on: 20 Sep 2016 16:49
I
iLunatic
Hello,
we have been planning to build a house for some time now and already own the plot of land. Over the winter, we want to finalize everything so that construction can start around March/April 2017.
So far, we were quite set on a water-to-water heat pump. Since there is already a groundwater well on our property (about 7 meters (23 feet) deep), we took a water sample. Today, we received a sobering call from the lab: Iron: 0.79 mg/l, Manganese 0.21 mg/l, pH value 7.2! There is also aggressive carbonic acid at 10 mg/l. According to various heat pump data sheets, these values significantly exceed the allowed limits. After inquiring with several installers, we got—as is often the case in home building—many different opinions.
Two installers advised us to forget about it entirely. Another said that operation would be absolutely no problem with an intermediate heat exchanger. A third suggested simply flushing with citric acid once or twice a year. All these gentlemen seem quite convincing and competent to me, so I’m now caught between three opinions.
I am familiar with this citric acid cleaning process. A friend of mine performs it on his heat pump about every five years. But I think his water quality is nowhere near as poor as ours (he lives about 2 km (1.2 miles) away).
We are now looking for alternatives for our home. We exclude fossil fuels, pellets, and wood. Regarding ground collectors, our plot is almost too small (heated area approximately 155 m² (1,668 sq ft) over two floors plus basement, on a 690 m² (7,427 sq ft) lot). How does the energy efficiency of a brine-to-water heat pump compare? A borehole for probes should be feasible.
Is it also possible to cool with this system? Possibly in combination with a mechanical ventilation system? (So, not only through underfloor heating.)
Originally, we planned to run the heat pump together with a 5 kW photovoltaic system. (The roof is ideally oriented south.)
Thanks and best regards
we have been planning to build a house for some time now and already own the plot of land. Over the winter, we want to finalize everything so that construction can start around March/April 2017.
So far, we were quite set on a water-to-water heat pump. Since there is already a groundwater well on our property (about 7 meters (23 feet) deep), we took a water sample. Today, we received a sobering call from the lab: Iron: 0.79 mg/l, Manganese 0.21 mg/l, pH value 7.2! There is also aggressive carbonic acid at 10 mg/l. According to various heat pump data sheets, these values significantly exceed the allowed limits. After inquiring with several installers, we got—as is often the case in home building—many different opinions.
Two installers advised us to forget about it entirely. Another said that operation would be absolutely no problem with an intermediate heat exchanger. A third suggested simply flushing with citric acid once or twice a year. All these gentlemen seem quite convincing and competent to me, so I’m now caught between three opinions.
I am familiar with this citric acid cleaning process. A friend of mine performs it on his heat pump about every five years. But I think his water quality is nowhere near as poor as ours (he lives about 2 km (1.2 miles) away).
We are now looking for alternatives for our home. We exclude fossil fuels, pellets, and wood. Regarding ground collectors, our plot is almost too small (heated area approximately 155 m² (1,668 sq ft) over two floors plus basement, on a 690 m² (7,427 sq ft) lot). How does the energy efficiency of a brine-to-water heat pump compare? A borehole for probes should be feasible.
Is it also possible to cool with this system? Possibly in combination with a mechanical ventilation system? (So, not only through underfloor heating.)
Originally, we planned to run the heat pump together with a 5 kW photovoltaic system. (The roof is ideally oriented south.)
Thanks and best regards
T
toxicmolotof22 Sep 2016 12:07Who is spreading that nonsense about subsidies? Of course they exist, and not even just a little.
T
toxicmolotof22 Sep 2016 12:39RobsonMKK schrieb:
But not in Austria... Alright, then I’m out.
Depending on the climate, I wouldn’t choose an (air) heat pump there either.
Maybe classic gas heating after all?
I don’t like the idea of relying on a gas source or oil. To be honest, I’m considering the possibility of obtaining almost self-sufficient energy in a few years when photovoltaic systems and their associated batteries are more advanced. For me, a heat pump is a conceivable option. I’m not particularly interested in an air-source heat pump, as there are more efficient methods of operation.
Heating is (so far) by far the biggest question mark in the construction process. The amount of research, energy, and effort it has already required is really incredible.
Heating is (so far) by far the biggest question mark in the construction process. The amount of research, energy, and effort it has already required is really incredible.
Similar topics