Water source heat pump?

DixyDoodle · #1 08/09/08, 01:46 PM

Got one? Want one? Like it or not?

We've been thinking of getting one as the price of oil is---surprise!---going to skyrocket for winter....as if it hadn't already last winter. We easily spend thousands just for the winter months.

Supposedly, water source heat pumps are better. My dh's dad had one at their old homestead and they loved it. They used it for not only heating the house but got a bonus": air conditioning for summer.

Our government is currently offering grants towards the installation of such and we've been considering it.

What do you think? Are they worth it? Are there any drawbacks? We do know that a new, deeper well will probably be in order for us. Anything else?

Thanks for any advice for or against!

agmantoo · #2 08/09/08, 02:24 PM

I have one and it is getting old, it can vote next year. It has been a real workhorse. Mine is an open loop and IMO it is the preferred type. Open loops are more efficient than closed loop versions. The efficiency will offset the cost to pump the water and give you a financial gain. My geothermal has a tube and shell heat exchanger. I think the current versions have a different design. If the one you purchase will have the tube and shell make certain the material is specified to be the type that eliminates the build up of scale. It is a self cleaning design and eliminates future maintenance. My unit has been nearly trouble free and we enjoy the extent of the cooling and heating. The output temperatureof heat is hotter than a typical heatpump. My electric charges per month are about 60% of what others seem to have with homes the approximate size of ours. I like the fact that the unit is so small and that everything is in the basement. Nothing outside to rust or get damaged. I would compare the reliability to equate to that of a refrigerator. The system is factory filled and sealed. No in field makeup of anything lines other than water. I am sending about 8 gallons per minute through the unit to extract heat or cool and I return the water to the ground. I do not consider this wasteful as I got the water from the ground and that is where I put it back...I do think the units are over priced but that is mainly because there is very little competition for the sale. They should not be any more expensive to build than a conventional heatpump and possible they could be cheaper as there is less material. When the one I have fails with a major problem I will replace it with another. I will attempt to install the replacement as it is a simple installation with no freon lines to run. My unit is not much larger than a water fountain so it should be a one man installation. You will not regret the investment.

**fordson major** · #3 08/09/08, 06:12 PM

two things too consider, how big a generator do you need too run it and how good is the power grid around you? (98 we had some cold neighbors) we went the outdoor boiler gen backup route,(still have the oil in place, but as back up) gotta have heat here mid winter!

agmantoo · #4 08/09/08, 07:11 PM

An interesting thing with the geothermal heat pumps is that you do not have to have strip heat to comply with codes pertaining to HVAC. This is due to the water being a constant moderate temperature and consequently that allows the heat pump to function regardless of the outdoor temperature. The breaker for my heat pump is rather low amperage. I will have to verify but I think that it is a 30 amp. Therefore it would not take that great of a generator to pull the unit.

DixyDoodle · #5 08/10/08, 05:28 AM

ford major, well it would probably be ok to use here....my in-laws that had the heat pump used to own the farmhouse across the road from us!

And they never had a problem.

Someday I would also like a nice woodstove for "back up"

**fordson major** · #6 08/10/08, 07:41 AM

wood stoves saved a lot of peoples bacon here in '98!! that and a bunch of generators shared amongst neighbors! reason i bring up the grid and a back up system, is hydro has been clearing the lines round us like crazy! selkirk chimney is cheap and a wood stove can be fueled from your own woodlot/fence rows, that and some more insulation in the attic, walls and where ever else you can put it, makes for a warm winter and helps keep the stead cool in summer. sides, hydro will follow suit soon!

ai731 · #7 08/10/08, 08:16 AM

We just bought a place in rural south-eastern Ontario and the building inspector that inspected the place for us highly recommended us getting a heat pump. His oppinion was that with the Ontario government grant, you'd pay it off in 5-6 years worth of reduced heating bills. We're going to find out more about them and look into putting one in next summer - so I'd love to hear more from anyone who has got one or who looked into it. For this winter we're stuck with oil heat, but we're probably going to pull the decorative propane fireplace out of the den in the basement and replace it with a wood-burning air-tight insert for backup heat.

Jan

MELOC · #8 08/10/08, 08:29 AM

i thought of using a unit like this someday. i have a stream and a spring fed water system that runs on good ole' gravity, and i was wondering if i could use one of those as the water source? the water temps are not constant though. they change seasonally as the creek flow can get slow in summer and the water line from the spring is not very deep, allowing the water to heat a little. i took temps the other day and got temps in the low 60's F.

DixyDoodle · #9 08/10/08, 10:43 AM

MELOC, I don't suppose if you had a well dug for it, that would be an issue....but well digging is very costly.

ai731, welcome to Ontario!

Yep, those grants are what has us finally looking into it!

Quote:

wood stoves saved a lot of peoples bacon here in '98!!

Yes, and we were fortunate our in-laws had one! I had a 2 month old baby at the time. We warmed up formula on the woodstove. Gennies are great, but the run for fuel for them during the ice storm was tremendous and if you ran out, too bad, and as for wood, generally you stockpile for the entire winter, so you're set....and a lot of people had their generators stolen from their yards, too. It's a little harder and less practical to steal a woodstove (not that many people have them anymore), and wood can easily be moved to an inaccessible spot.

The thing I like about the woodstove is that you can cook on it, too! So light, food, and heat all in one source!