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ASHP and microbore CH pipes

LongWalk_2
Posts: 5 Forumite

I'm looking to install an ASHP at my home. All downstairs radiators run on 8mm microbore pipes fed from upstairs, where all the radiator pipes are on 15mm pipes. I'm worried I will not have a good enough flow rate downstairs to heat it at a lowish flow temperature. I don't want to run the CH at 50 degrees as my COP will be poor. Do I need to install 15mm pipes to the ground floor radiators? Any advice much appreciated.
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Comments
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My ASHP installer mentioned that microbore pipes would have been problematic; fortunately I do not have any. By the way, if you have a 50 C flow temperature and a lower return temperature you should be able to achieve a rated COP of more than 3.Reed0
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An ASHP needs a fairly high flow rate through it to function properly, so its unlikely that it will even work with microbore pipes unless you fit a buffer tank. Even then you may not get suffient flow through the rads
You really need your installer to do detailed calculations to see what is possible but I suspect that you'll nee to replace the microbore with 15mmNever under estimate the power of stupid people in large numbers0 -
I agree; from other forums, mixing pipe bores might be OK but can be problematic.0
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I have read in the press that when a heat pump become a necessity that all microbore piping will require replacing and that larger radiators will be required. Is this correct? Would this require the raising of flooring and rechanneling through walls necessitating a complete redecoration into the bargain?I have osteoarthritis in my hands so I speak my messages into a microphone using Dragon. Some people make "typos" but I often make "speakos".0
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Sterlingtimes said:I have read in the press that when a heat pump become a necessity that all microbore piping will require replacing and that larger radiators will be required. Is this correct? Would this require the raising of flooring and rechanneling through walls necessitating a complete redecoration into the bargain?
This saving the planet malarky doesn't come cheap you know.
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Sterlingtimes said:I have read in the press that when a heat pump become a necessity that all microbore piping will require replacing and that larger radiators will be required. Is this correct?Sterlingtimes said:Would this require the raising of flooring and rechanneling through walls necessitating a complete redecoration into the bargain?Reed1
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Reed_Richards said:Sterlingtimes said:Would this require the raising of flooring and rechanneling through walls necessitating a complete redecoration into the bargain?I have osteoarthritis in my hands so I speak my messages into a microphone using Dragon. Some people make "typos" but I often make "speakos".0
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My property, a bungalow built in 1980, had all the distribution pipes embedded in the concrete floor but this had been done without any protection and the pipes were beginning to corrode (as happens with copper in direct contact with concrete). So we put new distribution pipes in the loft and ran pipes down the walls in a corner then along the skirting board to the radiators. Some of the pipes are boxed-in and concealed behind the skirting board, some are exposed; we didn't much mind. There was very little upheaval.
I cannot answer for your house but you must be able to infer where your distribution pipes are, and if there are some in the loft they shouldn't be hard to find.
Reed1 -
Sterlingtimes said:Reed_Richards said:Sterlingtimes said:Would this require the raising of flooring and rechanneling through walls necessitating a complete redecoration into the bargain?You should be able to work that out by seeing where the pipes go.All my downstairs radiator pipes go up to the ceiling. So the plumbing for upstairs and downstairs must be below the upstairs floors.If it sticks, force it.
If it breaks, well it wasn't working right anyway.1 -
Ectophile said:All my downstairs radiator pipes go up to the ceiling. So the plumbing for upstairs and downstairs must be below the upstairs floors.I have osteoarthritis in my hands so I speak my messages into a microphone using Dragon. Some people make "typos" but I often make "speakos".0
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