Heat pump fireplace

Forums › Gadgets, robotics, home automation, electronics (including wearables) › Heat pump fireplace

chimera

506 posts

Ultimate Geek

#312478 20-Apr-2024 22:17

Is there any such thing as a “heat pump fireplace” Eg like the fake flame electric fireplaces but work on the same principle as a heat pump? (As opposed to the fan heater in the cheap fake fireplaces) WiFi integrated preferred

If so what do you recommend?

Scott3

3924 posts

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Lifetime subscriber

#3220766 20-Apr-2024 23:37

I'm not aware of any.

You could either get a flame effect fireplace and turn off the resistive electric heater part of it, or get one that doesn't have any heating capability, for example the below:

www.dimplex.co.nz/sites/g/files/emiian331/files/2020-07/Opti-V_Brochure_sxi6xy.pdf

And deal with the heat pump system separately (might be ideal if it is hydronic underfloor, ducted or concealed in some way).

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tweake

2296 posts

Uber Geek

#3220950 21-Apr-2024 11:04

install a floor mounted heat pump that has a flat front (eg current Panasonic) and stick a fake fireplace screen on the front of it.

neb

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#3221039 21-Apr-2024 14:33

You can get DVDs, and presumably now streaming video, of various types of fire burning down, complete with sounds. Friends of mine who live in a house without a fireplace use this, in their case a log that slowly burns down, with occasional cracks and pops. So run that on your TV and run the heat pump at the same time.

chimera

506 posts

Ultimate Geek

#3221109 21-Apr-2024 18:22

It’s to replace an existing gas fire place.

Surprised they don’t do flame effect heat pump versions. Although I get the way a heat pump works it makes more sense to mount up high on a wall, versus convection heater drawing cool air from the floor, heating and pumping hot air at top.

May have to just suck up the higher wattage/costs.

SATTV

1626 posts

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#3221237 22-Apr-2024 08:46

Get a floor cassette to replace the fireplace.
We stayed in an Air BNB with a floor cassette, the same wattage as our home one and it was infinatly better. Probably because it was not heating top down.

Given the choice I would go floor and not wall.

John

I know enough to be dangerous

MadEngineer

4224 posts

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#3221241 22-Apr-2024 09:17

We did that in our last place - removed an old gas heater and swapped it to a floor console. Agree that they’re so much better than a wall unit. The much larger mouse wheel style fan that’s nearly the full size of the whole unit means it can run at a silent speed.

You're not on Atlantis anymore, Duncan Idaho.

tweake

2296 posts

Uber Geek

#3221500 22-Apr-2024 16:03

chimera:
lthough I get the way a heat pump works it makes more sense to mount up high on a wall, versus convection heater drawing cool air from the floor, heating and pumping hot air at top.

for heating you want to suck in the coldest air and heat that up. plus warm air rises so floor mounts can do a bit better. wall mounts need to blow more air to mix the hot air with the cool air at the bottom. taking in hot air and heating it higher than it needs to be, just so you can mix it with the cool air in the room, is a little bit inefficient. however in a properly heated house, it makes very little difference.

Scott3

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#3221526 22-Apr-2024 16:48

I have liked floor consoles heap pumps in the couple of house's I have been in that have them. Especially the feature where they blow warm air along the floor.

They do cost more that high walls (which are produced in massive volumes as this is the preferred configuration for air conditioning). Also there is a bit of a question if the house layout suits a floor console, which of course also occupies valuable floor space.

chimera

506 posts

Ultimate Geek

#3221556 22-Apr-2024 18:58

The trade off is cost.

A 2000W flame effect fireplace is going to use a lot more power. If it ran for say 4 hours, it would use 8kWh’s. A heat pump is significantly more efficient than that, if running for the same 4 hours would use (based on research) around 1-2kWh.or put another way 5-15’ cents per kWh for heat pump, 20-40 cents for electric heater. Of course the math comes into play when you need to determine 1. Initial outlay of a heat pump is typically a lot more and 2. How long do each need to run for in order to maintain the same temperature.

tweake

2296 posts

Uber Geek

#3221615 22-Apr-2024 20:39

chimera: The trade off is cost.

A 2000W flame effect fireplace is going to use a lot more power. If it ran for say 4 hours, it would use 8kWh’s. A heat pump is significantly more efficient than that, if running for the same 4 hours would use (based on research) around 1-2kWh.or put another way 5-15’ cents per kWh for heat pump, 20-40 cents for electric heater. Of course the math comes into play when you need to determine 1. Initial outlay of a heat pump is typically a lot more and 2. How long do each need to run for in order to maintain the same temperature.

the bigger problem is size.

if you have a moderate size room its probably going to require 5kw+ of heating even in northland. if its a big room, or down south etc it may need 10kw. a single resistance heater just won't cut it and i doubt you will be able run enough of them off one circuit.

chimera

506 posts

Ultimate Geek

#3221632 22-Apr-2024 22:24

Hence a heat pump fireplace that can run longer and stronger for cheaper.

mattwnz

20045 posts

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#3221644 23-Apr-2024 00:19

Have a TV playing a fireplace video underneath a split unit. You could even setup the TV to look like a built in fireplace if you use a smaller tv. We used to have a gas fire that looked like a normal fireplace, but it still looked fake and wasn't very efficient.

Wombat1

586 posts

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Inactive user

#3221645 23-Apr-2024 00:25

Those fake fireplaces are so bad.... Don't go there.

MikeAqua

7769 posts

Uber Geek

#3221799 23-Apr-2024 12:50

Air to water heater pump, radiators and a flatscreen playing a nice video of fire. Should be able to get her done for ~50k.

Mike

chimera

506 posts

Ultimate Geek

#3222095 24-Apr-2024 09:34

Perfect. I'll go buy the winning lotto ticket!