UPDATED: Air Source Heat Pumps/Air Con - Full Info & Guide, is it cheaper to run than mains gas?

richardc1983

Jeanners49 wrote: »

because the only bit with no insulation is a small piece of boarding less than 1 square metre, no company wants to do it unless we pay a small fortune.

Could a handyman do the remaining insulation for you given that it is such a small area?

richardc1983

Jeanners49 wrote: »

Thanks for this - I think my husband is reluctant to throw any more money at the heating by consulting another company. We're based near Ringwood and he chose a local installer because he thought they would be reputable. Fat chance..

Radiators were all replaced and the ASHP is an LG, so is a good one.

Cutting our losses is a hard one to swallow, but unless we take the guy to court, I think it's our only option.

If the system is an LG then it might be worth contacting LG technical who are in the UK and are very good.

I will drop you a PM with info. Graham Hendra at freedom HP I gave earlier used to be the head technical guy at LG technical hence why I recommended them.

I think you are going to have to have someone in to check the system is set up correctly as many issues with these systems are commissioning issues, however, this system even when setup at it's most efficient will cost more to run than a gas boiler would at 6p per unit of gas vs 13p of electric!

So I wouldn't give up just yet but even after others have tried and had the system setup at it's optimum they ended up putting a gas boiler back in, however you will take a long time to recoup that cost so it may be worth trying to get the ASHP setup properly.

pd001

Jeanners49 wrote: »

Debit card...

If you had paid by credit card you may have been able to hold them responsible if the system hasn't been set up, or finished off correctly.
I am not sure if payment by debit card gives you the above extra protection

zeupater

richardc1983 wrote: »

Could a handyman do the remaining insulation for you given that it is such a small area?

Agree .... Needed to go to one of the Destroy-It-Yourself sheds at the weekend & noticed that the whole self serve checkout area was full of rolls of loft insulation so if it's a small area it should be pretty quick and easy!!

HTH
Z

matelodave

Jeanners49 wrote: »

MateloDave, we had the whole works; new double radiators etc and have the required certificates. Am trying to apply for domestic RHI but the recent EPC (which was done for the installation) says that we don't have enough roof insulation (an average thickness was taken) and because the only bit with no insulation is a small piece of boarding less than 1 square metre, no company wants to do it unless we pay a small fortune.

It's not expensive to get a roll or two and put it up there yourself or get someone to help you. Getting the RHI could net you several thousand pounds (I;ll get over £5k) so dont forfeit it for something trivial. Improving your insulation will also make your heating more effective.

If he system was properly designed are you using it properly? T

Trying to run it in an on/off manner like a gas boiler is likely to cost you a lot more than having it idling away for a lot longer. Because it should be running at a lower temperature (usually around 35-40 degrees, rather than 70 or so with a gas boiler).

It will take a lot longer to reheat the place. We don't turn ours off over night, just down a couple of degrees and back up in the morning before we get up. Likewise we dont have our hot water everso hot.

Running an ASHP at higher temperatures and calling for very hot water has the undesired effect of increasing the running costs and in many cases using the back-up heater which really ramps up the bills.

DD137

Evening All,


We've recently moved into a house with one of these systems installed and are finding it to be quite frustrating. Are they meant to omit a humming noise? When the heating is on the pump is always gurgling away with a low hum which occasionally gets louder before subsiding again.



The previous owners installed it in a bedroom cupboard which has basically rendered the room unusable, why they didn't just get a combi boiler I don't know. Its like the engine room of the Starship Enterprise in there with all the equipment humming away.

matelodave

Have you heard how much noise a combi boiler makes?

The noise you can hear is the circulating pump which is similar to the one in a combi, on top of that the combi has a gas burner and a combustion fan which kick in and out as the boiler fires up

DD137

The modern combi boiler in my previous house was a lot quieter when running, you'd have to be stood next to it to notice it was on.



I was hoping there a solution other than ripping the thing out as it seems quite a waste considering it was only installed this year and how expensive they are

richardc1983

DD137 wrote: »

The modern combi boiler in my previous house was a lot quieter when running, you'd have to be stood next to it to notice it was on.



I was hoping there a solution other than ripping the thing out as it seems quite a waste considering it was only installed this year and how expensive they are

I have a modern top of the range condensing boiler approx 2 years old, it is quiet but not silent. The fan, combustion gas burner & pump can all be heard in the cupboard that it is installed in. Once the door is closed there is a slight hum can he heard on the outside.

What model do you have, it may be that you can turn the fan speed down? However, if you are considering ripping it out due to the noise you would be better off building a cupboard round it or insulating the existing one for noise.

DD137

I'm not sure if it can be turned down or not, trying to insulate the cupboard isn't a bad idea but at some points the whole room vibrates. Its an Ecodan
Are there any online resources to learn more about how they work? Google doesn't come up with much. I'd like to take a radiator off the wall to paint behind it for example but have no idea how to refill / pressurize the system after reconnecting it