Air Source Heat Pumps

stevehead

Cardew wrote: »

Why not buy a simple dehumidifier? Initially it will remove lots of moisture as your walls, furniture etc are 'damp'. After a few weeks it will not be running a fraction of the time unless you do have a more serious dampness problem.

Interesting idea Cardew, but I feel the need to exchange the air too as I'm sure it's not good for us occupants to sit in a sealed box all winter.

Cardew

stevehead wrote: »

Interesting idea Cardew, but I feel the need to exchange the air too as I'm sure it's not good for us occupants to sit in a sealed box all winter.

I appreciate you are a self-confessed 'gadget' man Steve, and it is necessary have to have ventilation, but why high tech solutions to everything when simple air bricks will suffice.

Or open the windows!

richardc1983

stevehead wrote: »

Interesting idea Cardew, but I feel the need to exchange the air too as I'm sure it's not good for us occupants to sit in a sealed box all winter.

Steve I back you 100% as I would love to be able to introduce fresh air into the flat without having to open the windows in winter. Open windows equals heat lost that you have spent money on putting into the house.

I would research it well. When its cold and windy I think it will still work quite well.

There are the whole house ventilators with ducting all work on same principal!!!!

albyota

yep... most ventilation companies make these heat recovery ventilation systems using the crossover box medium to temper (warm) the incoming supply fresh air with the stale exhaust air from toilets, kitchens, bathrooms (the odours do not transfer across) and can be controlled by humidistat/timer to run fan at xxx litrs per min or set back to trickle at xxx litres/min also have alook at the pozidry type systems, they gently pressurise the house with fresh air forcing out of window trickle vents, adjustable speed setting, just fit in landingceiling above stairs. intake from sophit.

mech_2

I would concentrate first on stopping the moisture at the source. I seem to remember you mentioning a cellar Steve. This suggests suspended wooden floors downstairs, with airbricks ventilating the cellar to the outside. This is usually about as far from being a sealed box as you can get. And cellar air tends to be moist. Luckily a cellar means excellent access - no cramped crawling about in 2 feet of clearance as it is under my house.

If you haven't already done it, I would suggest thorough draughtproofing between the cellar and the floor above followed by insulation between the floor joists followed by a vapour barrier of some kind. That involves caulking every possible crack in the floor, especially around anything that breaches the integrity of the floor, such as water pipes etc. Then expanding foam filler around the edges of the floor (an astonishing amount of air can get under the skirting boards - the gaps here were huge in my house.). And draughtproofing the door to the cellar too, obviously.

Even after you've done this your house will still probably find enough draughts not to need heat-exchange ventilation. Dont forget you may need some ventilation for your water heater if it's not a room-sealed gas appliance.

Oh and however you do it, I'd sort out the condensation before changing the windows. Obviously because if it doesn't condense on the windows it's going to condense on the next-coldest surface and you don't want a mould problem wrecking the decor somewhere. At least windows are easily wiped clean.

richardc1983

Getting off topic now!!!!

eugeneg

Surely we need a separate forum for heat pumps, into which each problem can be assigned a single topic. This is unnecessarily confusing following several conversational threads as comments to one post.

richardc1983

yes I agree!

stevehead

Thanks for all your inputs people.
Yes, it appears we're veering OT, and this section is now called 'LPG & Heating' so MS Martin's rubbing us out!
I considered the original post 'on topic' as condensation is a direct result of me installing ashp.... well more like a direct result of turing off all the under-window radiators but still having a warm house.

Yes Cardew, I am attracted to gadgets (I prefer to say technical solutions) but in this case it's just some metal fins in a tube with a fan - not too geeky really. Nowt wrong with opening a window, but only when the heating's off. Obvious suggestion from a man who lives in Florida!

@mech The Cellar will be done as you say, but I hadn't thought of it as a source of damp air. I thought it was breathing/sweating/cooking etc. Interested in if the condensation will move elsewhere if the windows are changed. Hmmmm. Maybe not with gadget heat exchangers, so fit them first eh?

@albyota Thanks for the PoziDry info; doesn't have an exchanger I see, and the diagram in the promo material shows it drawing warm air from the loft space?? I'm also not wanting to draw too much incoming air through the fabric of the house. At least when it came in through the door frames etc it wasn't laden with insulation chemicals and filth from all those little cracks & crannies.

@rich I see you like the idea. I'm not sure the exchangers qualify for 'Money Saving' in their own right, but combined with cheap sealing-up and insulation it may well payback in a couple of years.
Right.... back to moneysaving ashp talk. Have you got your plugin leccy monitors yet, and if so, what's the scores on the doors?

richardc1983

stevehead wrote: »

@rich I see you like the idea. I'm not sure the exchangers qualify for 'Money Saving' in their own right, but combined with cheap sealing-up and insulation it may well payback in a couple of years.
Right.... back to moneysaving ashp talk. Have you got your plugin leccy monitors yet, and if so, what's the scores on the doors?

Yes I got it but to be honest with the warmer days ive had them on cooling a couple of hours and not used heat as ive come home and the downstairs have still had their heating on so the flat has been too warm.

Plus im having probs with the system at the moment, control issues so the manufacturer might need to come out to look at it and because its got a 13amp plug on it they are not going to be happy!