Heatpump space requirements

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Disrespective

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#189074 16-Dec-2015 11:01

We've got a house we want to install a heatpump in. We originally thought an underfloor ducted system would be best as we want to be able to heat/cool/dry the bedrooms separately from the lounge, however since taking posession i'm not sure we have enough underfloor space (~400mm but in some places less).

What clearance will we need to use an underfloor ducted heatpump? The alternative is to use an internal ceiling mounted pump, but the house has a skillion ceiling so there is no roof space... I could lower the ceiling in the hallway, but would only have about 300mm between the lowered lining and underside of the existing ceiling. Would this be enough? I think I need about 7kw for the living space (42m2, 2.7-3.2m ceiling) but would also want to heat the bedrooms (~9m2 each).

Am I dreaming, trying to fit a heatpump in somewhere other than on the walls?

timmmay

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#1451429 16-Dec-2015 11:28

You should probably ask an installer. 40cm is pretty tight to get into, and some places won't go under houses. Lowering the ceiling sounds like a pain in the butt.

My very old but reasonably well insulated house has a Nocria heat pump heating the living area, and the areas with bedrooms, maybe 60 - 70 square meters. It works well, even going around two corners into one bedroom. I have a 10kw heat pump, it's much more effective than the older 7kw heat pump that I moved to another part of the house. If your house is modern you may get away with 7kw. Ducted I would be wanting more like 10 - 15kw.

mdooher

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#1451431 16-Dec-2015 11:31

It could be done with that space. However you might need to do a bit of digging around the indoor unit so that everything will fit. Obviously access to get the unit and plenums needs to be considered too. Don't forget you are going to need to get under house for other things later on as well.

So in all likelihood Possible but not easy/cheap

Matthew

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#1451607 16-Dec-2015 14:27

A 10kw -12.5 kW ducted unit is somewhere around 330 - 360mm deep so doesn't leave much room. The flexible ducting will be smaller than this, say 300mm and gets smaller as you get further from the unit.
I'd recommend you get an installer to have a look and give you a quote as every house/situation is different.

Disrespective

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#1451701 16-Dec-2015 16:15

Cheers all.

Yeah will get an installer to have a look at it in the new year, but was interested to know whether I am going to need to spend a month convincing swmbo that one option is better than another (cost and feasibility-wise).

The house needs a lot of work so dropping ceilings isn't an issue (i'm going to be putting new ceiling linings on every ceiling anyway so I can get some insulation between existing and new).

We'll just wait and see I guess.