I found it interesting (when I looked into it) that my heat-pump based system (for both HW and underfloor) keeps a giant (1000L) tank of ethylene glycol hot. When I turn on the shower, cold water flows through an internal SS coil - within the ethylene glycol - and emerges hot. Instantaneous, not all that different to an LPG water heater/geyser.
As there is no reservoir of hot water anywhere, Legionnaires is not an issue - so the big tank sits at only 53 C. The lower the better (it makes the heat pump more efficient) and the factory would prefer 50-52... but I like really hot showers. It's still roughly 4.5 x more efficient than a standard jug element HWC.
And yes, the big tank has about 150mm thick, very German, insulation. I'm not sure how much energy is permitted to leak out - but it's damned little.
Is your cylinder mains pressure or low pressure? If it is low pressure check the overflow pipe where it comes out of the roof. Low pressure cylinders quite often have a pressure reducing valve on the cold water incomer. These pressure reducing valves are prone to failure which can result in water coming out of the overflow pipe and wasting your hot water.
I found it interesting (when I looked into it) that my heat-pump based system (for both HW and underfloor) keeps a giant (1000L) tank of ethylene glycol hot. When I turn on the shower, cold water flows through an internal SS coil - within the ethylene glycol - and emerges hot. Instantaneous, not all that different to an LPG water heater/geyser.
As there is no reservoir of hot water anywhere, Legionnaires is not an issue - so the big tank sits at only 53 C. The lower the better (it makes the heat pump more efficient) and the factory would prefer 50-52... but I like really hot showers. It's still roughly 4.5 x more efficient than a standard jug element HWC.
And yes, the big tank has about 150mm thick, very German, insulation. I'm not sure how much energy is permitted to leak out - but it's damned little.
I found it interesting (when I looked into it) that my heat-pump based system (for both HW and underfloor) keeps a giant (1000L) tank of ethylene glycol hot. When I turn on the shower, cold water flows through an internal SS coil - within the ethylene glycol - and emerges hot. Instantaneous, not all that different to an LPG water heater/geyser.
As there is no reservoir of hot water anywhere, Legionnaires is not an issue - so the big tank sits at only 53 C. The lower the better (it makes the heat pump more efficient) and the factory would prefer 50-52... but I like really hot showers. It's still roughly 4.5 x more efficient than a standard jug element HWC.
And yes, the big tank has about 150mm thick, very German, insulation. I'm not sure how much energy is permitted to leak out - but it's damned little.
🤔
But seriously how big is this device? What are the dimensions? 1000 litres + insulation is massive.
I can't even work out how to retrofit a standard HWC indoors, let alone something much larger.
Well - I did plan for it - just next to the heat pump - which is washing-machine size.
Outer dimensions are designed to fit under a standard 2400 (8') ceiling and diameter is 1010 mm. That's including a complete shell of 105 mm thick insulation - with a hard plastic surface (for easy wipe down). So not absurdly large...
Well - I did plan for it - just next to the heat pump - which is washing-machine size.
Outer dimensions are designed to fit under a standard 2400 (8') ceiling and diameter is 1010 mm. That's including a complete shell of 105 mm thick insulation - with a hard plastic surface (for easy wipe down). So not absurdly large...
If I win the lotto I'll pay someone to work out how to retrofit this into my house. 😀
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