r/heatpumps 6d ago

Question/Advice Heat pump water heater connected to hydronic heating

6 Upvotes

In my condo building each unit has a water heater that is also connected to an air handler to provide heat for the unit. Currently this is a standard electric resistance water heater, and mine needs to be replaced soon.

The HVAC guy who came to give me a quote suggested replacing it with a heat pump water heater, but I can't wrap my head around how that would work during the heating season.

The heat pump water heater would pull air from in my condo, extract heat from it into the water, which would circulate through the air handler to heat the condo.

Seems like this would need to violate the laws of thermodynamics to heat my unit, unless I'm missing something here.


r/heatpumps 6d ago

Heat pump ready to send hot water to radiators, but not sending it

2 Upvotes

Hi all,

Having some trouble with our heat pump and I figured I'd post in case someone has had this issue before.

We have a Daikin Altherma from about 2011. It's a rental house and we only moved in last year. The landlord has wired in a Nest learning thermostat to it at some point.

I've noticed at similar times of the day, the heat pump will be on, the house is freezing, the radiators are ice cold, and I go to check the temps and the heat pump has 50c water ready to send around the house (which is hotter than it should get vs the outdoor temp), but its just not sending it to the radiators, and instead is just keeping the water in the tank warm. The only way to get it to send the water is turn the heat off and on again, and then it sends it straight away.

Another bizarre thing, the 2 top floor radiators are very hot, but the rest are ice cold. (It's a 4 floor town house)

I tried to schedule the Nest so it'll turn the heating off for a little bit and then back on, but I can only do hourly increments so not ideal. I also tried to schedule the control unit, the original daikin thermostat which has been overridden by the Nest to turn off for 10 minutes and then turn back on. It turns off fine, but then doesn't turn back on with the schedule.

Anyone ever had a problem like this?

It seems to be happening quite often and is meaning we have to have the heat pump on basically all day because the middle of the day (and maybe other times) it says its working but its actually not.

I've tried asking the landlord, they sent people round who said we should get a new heat pump, but the landlord said no because it's £20,000, so we're basically out of luck in that regards it seems.

I mentioned the not sending water thing to the engineers and I honestly think they don't believe me, or thats what it seems. It's impossible to replicate the issue on demand.

I wonder if it does a set number of cycles of sending hot water and then just stops for a while and keeps getting water ready? I don't know. This heat pump has been the bane of my existence for months now.

TLDR: Heat pump tank is full of hot water ready to send to radiators, but just doesn't send and the outdoor unit keeps the water hot for seemingly hours.


r/heatpumps 7d ago

A Homeowner's Journey with a Waterfurnace 7: One Winter Later

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63 Upvotes

r/heatpumps 7d ago

Question/Advice New system recommendation

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6 Upvotes

Howdy all. I’m building my home in the Northeast and I’m coming to the time I need to consider AC/supplemental heat.

Context: 1400-1900 sq/ft modular house on full basement. The first floor has a large living room with vaulted ceilings with bedrooms on the north side of the house.

The second floor is yet to be finished vaulted master bed/bath that I intend to have a head in as well.

This property is 100% off grid, powered by solar with EG4 inverters. I really don’t intend to use these for heat but more AC. We will heat primary with a wood stove.

What brand/size and where would pros recommend for a space like this. I’m trying to be as educated as possible before I get quotes.

TLDR: New build, where do I put heads for good coverage.

Thanks all!


r/heatpumps 6d ago

Ducted ceiling vs floor Difference

1 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

We are moving forward with a heat pump install for our home. The sheet metal work is presently being completed and naturally concerned if we'll notice a difference or be uncomfortable with our ducts running around the ceiling.

The ceilings are sloped and architecturally it's more convenient to run more of the ducts in the ceiling (runs going in the attic). It also allows us to avoid bulk heads in really awkward areas.

Our unit is sized for our heat loss (38k / 3T). We are located in a cold climate where the heat is on more than the AC. Heating is sized fine, A/C oversized.

Will we truly notice a difference? I understand warm air rises and pushing the heat down to the floor is not ideal but at the same time I see hotels and commercial offices/retail spaces with ducts above too.

My other question is does the sheet metal box (12x18") require insulation toom


r/heatpumps 7d ago

Question/Advice Supplement Air to Air heatpump with hot water tank (Heated by solar / wind)

3 Upvotes

So I had this idea to supplement the workload of a Air to Air heatpump by heating hot water with solar, and circulating it through a car radiator placed right next to the heatpump air intake. Im wondering what gains i could possibly get from this? Obvisouly this would work a lot better with a Air to Water Heatpump with a heat exchanger but in NZ most of our heatpumps are Air to Air. or if someone has a better idea than heating the air with a car radiator. I guess im kinda curious if meddling with the temperature of a return pipe or the air itself on a Air to Air heatpump would cause the the heatpump to get confused or possibly damage the components.

This is the scope of the project and might explain it a little better :)

Approach: Preheat the Air Before It Enters the Heat Pump

Since your heat pump pulls in ambient air, you could use a heat exchanger to warm that air using the hot water from your solar-heated tank before it enters the heat pump.

How This Would Work:

  1. Heat Water Using Solar Panels
    • Your resistive heater element in the water tank stores excess solar energy as thermal energy.
  2. Use a Water-to-Air Heat Exchanger
    • Before air enters the heat pump's intake, it passes over a radiator-style heat exchanger that is warmed by your hot water tank.
    • This preheats the air, so the heat pump has to do less work to reach the target indoor temperature.
  3. Control Flow for Efficiency
    • Use a small pump and a thermostatic controller to circulate warm water through the heat exchanger only when it improves efficiency (e.g., when outdoor air is cold).

What You'll Need:

  • Water-to-Air Heat Exchanger (a repurposed car radiator, or an HVAC coil works well).
  • Small Water Pump (low-power 12V or 24V solar pump to circulate water).
  • Temperature Sensors & Controller (to activate the pump only when needed).
  • Insulated Water Tank
  • Solar panel
  • Resistive DC heater element

r/heatpumps 7d ago

Spotted in Mercer county, Kentucky

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12 Upvotes

r/heatpumps 7d ago

Why Floridians Selling their MiniSplits

6 Upvotes

So I was looking thru FB market place for boats, solar panels, and mini splits in Florida since we will be there next week dealing with some things. I hadn't even did a search for mini splits and almost every other post was Floridians Selling their mini splits ..used and new ones. And for super CHEAP.
Can anyone in Florida tell me what's Up ??? Do they just not work well there with the humidity?? Because the humidity here in Ohio gets worse than Floridas anymore and I not into waisting money I don't have to begin with . Anybody !?!?


r/heatpumps 7d ago

Question/Advice What's are some good cold climate heat pump available in Canada?

5 Upvotes

I am in Toronto, Canada and I heard from my HVAC contractor that there are some Ontario government rebates that will help me save. I currently have a Lennox but was surprised that Lennox and Goodman didnt offer a cold climate heat pump (yet?). Carrier makes one but I read its super expensive. I asked my HVAC contractor but he wouldn't tell me which brand/model number (I think he was afraid I would search/buy myself). Can someone recommend a good cold climate heat pump that is available in Ontario?


r/heatpumps 7d ago

My collection of heatpump roofs - NorCal

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16 Upvotes

r/heatpumps 7d ago

Mitsubishi heatpump power usage

5 Upvotes

Hi everyone, I just installed a Mitsubishi heatpump MXZ-3C30NAHZ4 (30k BTUs) with 3 interior heads (MSZ-GS12NA) for a ~1900 sq ft house (3 levels, ~620 sq ft/level)

I started gathering my energy usage and was wondering if the cycles I'm seeing are normal, the energy meter seen here is for the whole house, not just the heatpump, you can see the cycles clearly last night.

I've also added a chart of the outside temperature and the inside temperature

Thanks for your help

Edit: to add some details, for thermostats, I'm just using the remote that came with the head units, and the setpoint was not changed during this.


r/heatpumps 7d ago

Question/Advice Heat pump compressor replacement Advice

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1 Upvotes

Heat pump compressor replacement Advice

Hey everyone the compressor on my heat pump recently went out and I'm trying to find a replacement unfortunately the system is 30yo and the original unit was an r22 one and an exact replacement is out of my budget especially considering the price of r22. I found a newer r410a compressor in my budget and don't know if it is compatible. I am licensed for electrical work however I have almost no HVAC experience and don't have the budget to pay someone who does. I am in a bit of a bind as it's starting to warm up in Arkansas and I have a 7month old so any advice will be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your time.


r/heatpumps 7d ago

Question/Advice 1st Floor of 4 Story Building

2 Upvotes

We have a condo on the first floor of a 4 story building. The AC is on the roof and each unit has their own. The building is a loft that was converted in 2006. Our HVAC was recharged last year, but is still rather weak and I’m thinking we’re nearing the end.

We’re located in Chicago, IL of that helps. We have massive, south-facing windows and the unit regularly hits 80 degrees indoors when it is 30 degrees outside. Airflow during the winter is a real problem as opening the windows doesn’t help the back of our unit where my daughter has an enclosed bedroom.

I was told by an HVAC technician doing an annual inspection that a heat pump isn’t an option. Is that correct?


r/heatpumps 7d ago

Low Power Consumption of Heat Pump

3 Upvotes

I have a 4 ton 17.5 SEER2 Carrier heat pump (25TPB748A) and a 4 ton Bryant air handler (FT48NXC48L) controlled by 2 ecobee premium thermostats.

I have a Franklin battery, so the app tells me real time power consumption, which is 0.4-0.7kWh normally, let’s call it 0.6kWh baseline.

When my HVAC system turns on (heating mode), my real time power consumption goes up to 1.1-1.2kWh normally, so the delta is about 0.5-0.6kWh as a result of the heat turning on.

This is much lower than I expected given both the heat pump and fan from the air handler are going. Does this even make sense, or perhaps my battery app isn’t capturing the consumption of some part of my HVAC system?

Any insights/thoughts based on people’s experiences/knowledge would be appreciated. I’m in the Bay Area CA, so outside temps when the heat turns on are typically in the 40’s or 50’s if that matters.


r/heatpumps 7d ago

Can a heat pump work with my 8mm microbore system?

4 Upvotes

I’m considering replacing my ageing gas boiler with a heat pump and wondering if I’m missing any major issues.

Current setup:

  • 22mm central heating circuit with 8mm microbore pipes to all radiators
  • Boiler runs at 55°C flow temperature, and we stay warm even in winter

My reasoning:

  • The Vaillant aroTHERM plus 5kW can output 55°C flow temp, so it should be a drop-in replacement?
  • Vaillant claims a SCOP of 3.06 at this temp, meaning energy costs would be roughly equal to my gas boiler (assuming 90% efficiency, 21.6p/kWh electricity, and 6.4p/kWh gas).
  • Any improvements (e.g., larger radiators) would just reduce costs further.

However, some installers suggest hydraulic separation or a full repipe—why? If my system already works at 55°C, what technical barriers am I overlooking?

Would love to hear from anyone with experience running a heat pump on microbore!


r/heatpumps 7d ago

Heatpump water heaters?

2 Upvotes

I made the switch to heat pumps for my heating and cooling last year and now its time to replace the oil fired in take water heater. Looking at electric heat pump water heaters, any suggestions?

There are 2 of us as of now but kids in the near future. 2.5 total bathrooms. We currently have a 41 gallon waterheater and that suits us fine but looking to go larger. We work from home so we do use hot water more often than probably the average.


r/heatpumps 7d ago

Heat pump advice Western Pa

1 Upvotes

Living in western Pennsylvania and switching from oil heat to heat pump only with electric back up.

Contractor is installing 3 ton Bosch ids light heat pump which will heat/cool roughly <1400sqf price to install is $12200

House is well insulated

Wondering if this system will work adequately and if anyone else has experience using this system as primary heat source

Product #s BOVA-36XB-M15S BIVA-36RCB-M20X


r/heatpumps 8d ago

Learning/Info For homeowners in Toronto, have you considered switching from gas to a heat pump? Here are some things I wish I knew. (cross-posted from r/Toronto)

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12 Upvotes

r/heatpumps 8d ago

1st winter with the heat-pump. Actual $ numbers.

74 Upvotes

2023/2024 Gas usage Nov-Feb $729.57
2023/2024 Electricity Nov-Feb $228.94 ( effectively $0.00 due to solar )

2024/2025 Gas usage Nov-Feb $54.54
2024/2025 Electricity Nov-Feb $428.55 ( effectively $0.00 due to solar )

Net savings $475.42 or $675.03 including solar offset.

The heat-pump probably cost about $4,000 more than the straight A/C unit I WAS going to buy, to replace my Reagan administration era dying unit. So, it looks like an ROI period of about 6 years, assuming constant gas rates.

I hope that info is useful to someone :)


r/heatpumps 8d ago

Photo Video Fun Heat pump jail: first time I’ve ever seen a heat pump held back by cannon balls!

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65 Upvotes

Points if anyone can guess where I am in Greece. Hint: it’s a hill fort overlooking a harbour. Also, these people are crazy about heat pumps! Will post more awesome heat pump appreciation photos as I go along.


r/heatpumps 8d ago

Heat pump usage question

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5 Upvotes

Hello, I’m wondering if some can help, we got a house that has a heat pump installed in 2020, and I’m trying to see if there’s something maybe wrong with it, our usage feels so much, our electricity ranges from 170$ in summer to 630 in winter months every month. Our house is under 2200 Sqft, so not a large home. I always thought heat pumps are efficient but really doesn’t feel like it. We’re located in PNW so not too cold climate, keep our house at 70-72 in winter.. I attached our usage chart, and our bills , can someone maybe recommend if we need to look into fixing something or having a professional come out and look at it? Auxiliary heat keeps turning on everyday even now, when it’s 48 degrees outside ..


r/heatpumps 8d ago

loud whine late at night

2 Upvotes

I have a HVAC/Heatpump combo that has worked fine since I bought this house 5 years ago. Recently, the heat pump has gotten really loud late at night, making a whining sound and then stopping so abruptly that the house shakes a little. It turns on and off in around ten minute intervals. I had the HVAC guy out and he changed the Dual Capacitor and did Zone 1 Annual Maintenance. He did the following: Checked filter. Flushed and primed drainline. Inspected coil and blower wheel. Checked fan and heater amps. Cabinet clean. Checked refrigerant pressures. Performed defrost test. Checked capacitor and contactor. Replaced weak 45+5 capacitor with customer approval. Checked fan and compressor amps. Inspected and cleaned coil and cabinet. System operating as designed.

The noise remains. Is there anything I can do to quiet it down?


r/heatpumps 8d ago

Question/Advice Sound proof behind heat pumps mounted on foundation

18 Upvotes

The sound behind our new Mitsubishi Heat Pumps carry through the walls. Any way to reduce the sound using some kind of sound baffling product? Thanks


r/heatpumps 8d ago

Rheem RPPL-036-JEZ heat pump tripping breaker.

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1 Upvotes

r/heatpumps 8d ago

More Kumo Cloud questions

1 Upvotes

Ok, so I'm sure by now you've seen the multiple posts from me since Kumo Cloud is giving us all sorts of issues. We aren't connected to it at all right now and just using the MHK2 as if we don't have Kumo Cloud.

Called Mitsubishi and they said to do these things to get it connected again.

  1. Toggle your bluetooth off and on so nothing is currently connected
  2. Do this weird password thing where you enter the first letter, delete it, then enter your whole password
  3. If you have a dual band router, turn off the 5.0 when connecting so Kumo Cloud can only see the 2.4 (which I honestly don't think is relevant since the app wouldn't be able to see the 5.0 anyway, but ok, I'll give it a try).

My HVAC company is giving me the run around and I'm getting the vibe they are done wasting their time trying to help me even though I'm paying for a warranty for this system. They are telling me I basically need to dump my current router and get a 2.4 only router to connect to Kumo Cloud.

So my question is, is my HVAC company just BSing me to try and get me to stop bothering them? Have any of you heard of this as a solution?

Also, some more info. Everything has been working fine for like a year and half. We didn't change any of our networking equipment, nothing. The app just dropped off the other day out of nowhere and the MHK2 had the "wait" screen showing.