Alternative Technology Assn Forums

1. 

   bgraetz
   Member

   Hi guys! I purchased a house not long ago which 'unfortunately' has a heat pump installed instead of a solar system.

   I work in a company that sells the Apricus systems, and i'm thinking of "retro-fitting" some tubes onto my heat pump storage tank... has anyone done this before?

   i would love to replace the lot with a nice stainless steel tank etc. but at the moment my budget wont allow this!.. especially as i wouldn't qualify for the Govt. rebates.

   I personally haven't done a-lot of research on heat pumps and how exactly they work/their inner tank design, but i'm pretty sure mine is a Rheem 300ltr which has a 1.6kw boosting element near the top.

   Does anyone have any advice or a site that has the technical workings of a heat pump and if they can be used as a "storage tank" for my solar and possibly a booster as-well??

   Thanks Guys
   BG.

   Posted Monday 8 Mar 2010 @ 10:22:58 pm from IP #
2. 

   Benny
   Member

   The fact that its a heat pump storage tank shouldn't make any difference once its turned off - then its just a tank !
   Inside the tank will be the condenser portion of the heat pump, probably just a copper coil I suppose, but all should be rated to tolerate hot water of course.
   You'll also need a circulating pump and controller with the ET's. I can't see why you couldn't use the heat pump as a booster too. Don't you have any plumbing experts where you work who can advise you on this ?

   Posted Monday 8 Mar 2010 @ 11:57:46 pm from IP #
3. 

   bgraetz
   Member

   I have a few different plumbers that i could ask, but i'm going to do it myself.
   plus i thought maybe other people have tried this and could let me know how they went.

   The Apricus 'retrofit' 4-way tee's are designed to convert an electric storage tank,

   i'm not sure if you are familiar with these, but they have a copper pipe around 300-400mm long that slides up inside the cold water inlet of the tank... usually on a gradual curve facing upwards in the tank...

   this becomes the 'hot water return' from the solar...
   could the coil "get in the way" of this retro valve? that is the main thing i was thinking about? the rest of the installation is easy, just not very educated on the design of heat pumps. i will do some research and post how i go.

   Thanks

   Posted Tuesday 9 Mar 2010 @ 1:42:17 am from IP #
4. 

   guy
   Member

   i wouldn't bother

   just keep the existing heat pump arrangement as is

   the cost of the plumber and all the other stuff that will need to be bought (or go wrong) probably isn't worth the expense.

   the heat pump is already efficient as it is and reliable and cheap to run (on off peak power or not if the government changes its mind on off peak power.)

   if you've got dollars to burn have a look at buying a good quality PV system or keeping the heat out of your roof cavity/ventilation.

   over the last year i've bought a PV system and a heat pump system, value for money for me is now trying to make the house cooler (i live in NQ). the next step after that will probably be somesort of greywater system (renew magazine has already warned people about the problems of cheap system - again, you get what you pay for) or a rainwater tank for the driest parts of the year (with a proper design to keep out mosquitoes).

   Posted Friday 12 Mar 2010 @ 8:19:26 am from IP #
5. 

   rogeralter
   Member

   bgraetz
   keep playing with it roof solar has to be the best its completly free, im using 2 tanks, so that cold water never enters the main hw. reduces the cool down effect, you do need to pump down from the roof thats what im playing with now , you dont want to spend all your money on pumping ect i need a very small pump and 12v inline with a small solar panel to run it when the suns out my water will circulate when the suns gone the pump stops and you dont want to circulate then . any one know of a good pump or supplier please email me rogeralter@dodo.com.au thanks roger

   Posted Tuesday 23 Mar 2010 @ 12:19:48 am from IP #
6. 

   bgraetz
   Member

   when i dealt with Endless solar about 5yrs ago before hills took it over, they had a solar circulating pump that ran off a 20watt panel, but it was about $500 + the panel...

   i'm putting on a 2kw grid connect system, once that is done i will play around with the heat pump... at the moment it is using less than or approximately 1kwhr/day... so it's not a HUGE worry for me at the moment! i'll see if i can track down the old model etc. of those pumps, and post it up for you!

   Posted Tuesday 23 Mar 2010 @ 4:32:35 am from IP #
7. 

   bgraetz
   Member

   http://www.solazone.com.au/pumping.htm#circ

   they have a Liang 12v Hot water circulator... $395

   Posted Tuesday 23 Mar 2010 @ 4:42:35 am from IP #
8. 

   sun2steam
   Member

   A 12 V pump is not necessarily more energy efficient than a 240V model.

   I don't want and cannot advertise here. But have a look on ebay or send me an email and I can offer a very attractive pump for a fraction of the cost.

   Posted Tuesday 23 Mar 2010 @ 11:15:45 am from IP #

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