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

richardc1983

Andy_WSM wrote: »

I whacked it up to 30C, it's reached 25C in the living room now - phew! LOL. Yes it's an inverter, just went out to listen to it - the compressor is running reasonably hard, but the fan on the ODU is only on low, so it's obviously able to collect plenty of heat as the ambient air isn't too cold.

The old vents were just round, so not directional at all - they could still be opened and closed by turning them, but that was the limi of the adjustments.

They the ones a bit like the nozzles u get overhead in a plane? Like nozzles that direct downwards.

How loud would you say the compressor is on ur ODU when running in cooling? Mine emits a buzzin noise.

We had a problem earlier this week where there was no power to the outdoor unit and the unit just shut off when thermostat on came back on. Turns out after engineer visited that the mains wires had been vibrating against the side of the casing and due to the frequency of the compressor the vibration had worn it through.

Andy_WSM

richardc1983 wrote: »

They the ones a bit like the nozzles u get overhead in a plane? Like nozzles that direct downwards.

How loud would you say the compressor is on ur ODU when running in cooling? Mine emits a buzzin noise.

We had a problem earlier this week where there was no power to the outdoor unit and the unit just shut off when thermostat on came back on. Turns out after engineer visited that the mains wires had been vibrating against the side of the casing and due to the frequency of the compressor the vibration had worn it through.

Wow, that's amazing! Wouldn't expect that to happen at all! The cables on mine are nicely secured, so hopefully no danger of that happening!

The compressor isn't at all noisy IMO. You can stand beneath it and hold a conversation at normal volume. I have seen other people say one of the drawbacks of ASHPs is the noise - they're wrong to be straight about it!

The old round outlets deflected the air outwards 360 degrees, rather than in a jet as you'd get from an airplane nozzle.

richardc1983

Andy_WSM wrote: »

Wow, that's amazing! Wouldn't expect that to happen at all! The cables on mine are nicely secured, so hopefully no danger of that happening!

The compressor isn't at all noisy IMO. You can stand beneath it and hold a conversation at normal volume. I have seen other people say one of the drawbacks of ASHPs is the noise - they're wrong to be straight about it!

The old round outlets deflected the air outwards 360 degrees, rather than in a jet as you'd get from an airplane nozzle.

I think they had come unsecured from the clip when I had a 3rd unit installed luckily all it did was blow a fuse rather than a pcb board but I was getting worried at the time because the pcbs are so expensive!!! Lukily me engineer friend visited at 10.30pm and no charge!

I wouldnt say the compressor is noisy at all, but it does emit a buzzing noise but it is very quiet, in heating it is louder as it runs a lot faster.

What fan speed do you run the system at?

Andy_WSM

richardc1983 wrote: »

What fan speed do you run the system at?

Auto as I can't hear what speed it is running at anyway. I figure that if it's on auto then when the unit needs to work harder it can, backing itself off as the room nears set point.

That is one really great thing about a ducted system - when fitted well they are near silent indoors. Other than the cool temperatures (and the electricity consumption!) you really don't know it's on!

richardc1983

Andy_WSM wrote: »

Auto as I can't hear what speed it is running at anyway. I figure that if it's on auto then when the unit needs to work harder it can, backing itself off as the room nears set point.

That is one really great thing about a ducted system - when fitted well they are near silent indoors. Other than the cool temperatures (and the electricity consumption!) you really don't know it's on!

Ducted is what I would go for and as your in a bungalow your at the advantage of being able to use your loft to put the equipment in.

I dont have auto setting on my units, so I just leave them on low as they are all oversized for the rooms. In fact low is not low enough I could do with an even lower speed really.

Andy_WSM

Oh dear...

Mitsubishi issues Ecodan recall after "explosion"

MITSUBISHI Electric UK has taken the unprecedented step of issuing a product safety recall after a component failure in one of its Ecodan air source heat pumps. The announcement follows what was described by local press reports as an "explosion" in one of its heat pumps at a house in Chard, Somerset, on July 9.


No-one was injured but residents described hearing a loud bang and feeling their houses shake. The owner told the Chard News: "It was a big explosion. I was in the bathroom and I opened the window to look outside and all this smoke started pouring in the house."

The unit was described as a Mitsubishi external air source heat pump inherited by the Yarlington Housing Group when it took over the housing area last year.

Mitsubishi has blamed the problem on the power receiver component in the W85 unit that failed under pressure, seriously damaging the outdoor unit.

"We have installed more than 6,000 of these units in the UK over the last few years and have had a single component failure in one of our units," explained John Kellett, general manager of the company's Domestic Heating Systems Department.

"We are very aware that any incident with a heat pump has the potential to undermine confidence and we wanted customers to realise just how much importance we place on product reliability and safety."

This type of failure is only possible when the unit is operating, but should this happen whilst there is anyone in close proximity then there is the potential for injury and the company was not prepared to risk the possibility, however slight.

"We have examined the failed component in forensic detail, identified the supplier and manufacturing plant concerned and we have decided to err on the side of caution," adds Kellett.

The recall affects all of the models (W50, W85, W90, HW140) except the W85 models produced in Scotland.

The model numbers affected are: PUHZ-W50VHA; PUHZ-W50VHA-BS; PUHZ W85VHA; PUHZ W85VHA-BS; PUHZ W90VHA; PUHZ-HW140VHA; PUHZ-HW140VHA-BS; PUHZ-HW140YHA; PUHZ-HW140YHA-BS and PUHZ-HW140YHA2-BS. All sales have been stopped with immediate effect.

Mitsubishi Electric is continuing to sell the popular medium-sized W85 units manufactured in Scotland (PUHZ W85VHA2-BS). These are manufactured using a different process and are not affected by the recall.

"Although we have had a problem with just one unit, we have taken the decision to replace all units that could potentially be affected because we want to be confident that this problem will not occur again," explains Kellett.

Mitsubishi Electric is writing to everyone affected instructing them to switch their Ecodan unit off and use their immersion heater to supply their hot water for the time being. The company is also implementing a replacement programme with its installer base.

"This is obviously quite a task and it could mean that some customers may be without their heat pump for some weeks," explains Kellett. "We are doing everything we can to get a replacement heat pump installed as soon as possible.
We recognise the inconvenience this will cause and apologise sincerely."

A dedicated webpage is being set up to help customers identify which models are affected at https://www.mitsubishielectric.co.uk/response-team.

The company has also set up a free telephone line for homeowners which is open from 8am - 7pm Monday to Saturday on 0800 783 1764. Special advisors will be able to help customers with any general queries about the recall and the replacement unit will come with a new 3-year warranty.

"The decision to undertake a recall on any of our products is not an easy one but product quality and safety remain paramount to everything we do," explains Kellett. "We know how something like this could damage faith in this growing market so we are doing everything possible to make this process quick and straightforward."

richardc1983

Thats pretty bad at least they are recalling though!

albyota

Wondered when one of you would hear about this and post accordingly, Mitsubishi have been very responsible in recalling the units, Mitsubishi have, via the AEI's, made contact with all householders to inform them to turn the system off, system owners will be given £100 as a goodwill gesture to cover the cost of using the immersion heater for heating the hot water and already have a programme for replacing the units. Obviously as MCS installers, we have been very busy assisting all our customers with the process, and putting in place plans for alternative heating equipment if the Ecodan replacements don't get through as soon as we'd like, of course any additional bills incurred will be passed on to Mitsubishi. Well done Mitsi.

richardc1983

What an excellent company that is really good of them.

It certainly would not put me off buying mitsi if this is how they deal with the customers, great customer service.

Andy_WSM

albyota wrote: »

Wondered when one of you would hear about this and post accordingly, Mitsubishi have been very responsible in recalling the units, Mitsubishi have, via the AEI's, made contact with all householders to inform them to turn the system off, system owners will be given £100 as a goodwill gesture to cover the cost of using the immersion heater for heating the hot water and already have a programme for replacing the units. Obviously as MCS installers, we have been very busy assisting all our customers with the process, and putting in place plans for alternative heating equipment if the Ecodan replacements don't get through as soon as we'd like, of course any additional bills incurred will be passed on to Mitsubishi. Well done Mitsi.

Absolutely agree with Richard that this would not put me off buying a Mitsubishi due to the fantastic response by the company. Recall, replacement & compensation without a fight. What more could one ask for? Well done Mitsubishi for proving that great customer service still exists if you are prepared to pay for it in the first place.