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ASHP in cold well

heat-pump-newbie · 2021-12-11T21:28:31Z

Having just read on this forum about a cold well, I think my heat pump is in just that situation. I haven't found the details about taking temperature measurements though, suggested by @derek-m, just the blowing smoke comment. Please could you tell me more Derek ? Our outdoor unit is in the 'back yard' which is a triangular space on the north side of our bungalow, with a 6 foot fence and tall hedge above one side, and the side of our garden room on the third side. The fan blows out towards the fence + hedge. There is a wide but solid gate on the inlet side of the pump, about 6 foot away from it, also a small shed away on the other side. The pump is the required distance from the house wall. I'm thinking we should replace the solid gate with a slatted one as a start to get more airflow. Does this sound like a good idea ?

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Kev M

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16/12/2021 2:07 pm

Posted by: @heat-pump-newbie

that looks like one of my barbecues 😆

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Mars

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16/12/2021 2:18 pm

@heat-pump-newbie, if it's not too much trouble, can you please resend me the WeTranser link I can't seem to open the one I've received?

Please ignore that - I've received it and I'm uploading the video now.

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heat-pump-newbie

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Topic starter 16/12/2021 4:34 pm

In anticipation of a second video this pic shows how the first puff of smoke has curled round the front of the (now doomed) shed and is heading back towards the heat pump.

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Mars

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16/12/2021 4:46 pm

Here we go - this is the video. Very interesting to watch indeed. To keep things festive, we'd add some holiday-ish music in the background.

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heat-pump-newbie

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Topic starter 16/12/2021 5:22 pm

Thank you ! The Christmassy background makes it look like a spectre rising from the smoke!!

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Morgan

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16/12/2021 6:29 pm

So the dunny, masquerading as a shed, is toast 😂. A start.

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Derek M

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16/12/2021 7:39 pm

@heat-pump-newbie

Hi Newbie,

I am not certain if removing the shed will have that much effect, other than to increase the size of the 'well'.

Posted by The Garden Shed Protection Society. 😀

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heat-pump-newbie

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Topic starter 16/12/2021 8:08 pm

Ah, I'm glad you recognise it as a Garden Shed rather than a privy !

I also thought it might just make a bigger well, but I may be able to judiciously place a panel of the shed to funnel the cold air behind the garden room. There's an open wire fence behind that, not the close-board type so it could disperse through there. By the time it's filtered through the trees behind that it shouldn't be antisocial from the neighbour's point of view.

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Derek M

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19/12/2021 3:30 pm

@heat-pump-newbie

Hi Newbie,

I hope that you realise that there is now a world shortage of smoke pellets because of your antics, and I'm still amazed that you did not hire a helicopter, with one of those special cameras, for the overhead view. 😮 On a more serious note, did you use calibrated smoke pellets or bog standard ones? 🙃

It was actually a brilliant idea of yours to use smoke pellets rather than joss sticks, I mean, which idiot thought of using joss sticks. 🙄

I am not a world authority on 'cold wells', though I suspect that they will get deeper as the ambient air temperature falls, and the heat pump has to work harder. So the options would probably be to remove the fence and chop down part of the hedge, so that your neighbour can enjoy the nice cooling breeze, 😡 or try to funnel the exhaust air out of the 'well', or alternatively funnel fresh warmer air to 'feed' your heat pumps desire for heat.

I look forward to seeing your solution.

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heat-pump-newbie

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Topic starter 19/12/2021 6:39 pm

Hi Derek

I did feel a bit guilty putting all that smoke into the air when the whole point is to save emissions ! However, I've only used 3 from a box of 10 https://www.toolstation.com/smoke-pellets/p38123. I used a joss stick to locate draughts in the house, but it wasn't man enough for the gale coming from the heat pump.

I've been thinking of ways to redirect the cold air out of the well but I'm going to try a couple of experiments first before I reveal anything in case of embarrassing failures !! Possibly a lockdown project but I'd like to set something up asap as it's going to be -1deg in the small hours of Tuesday.

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Derek M

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19/12/2021 7:22 pm

Posted by: @heat-pump-newbie

Hi Derek

I did feel a bit guilty putting all that smoke into the air when the whole point is to save emissions ! However, I've only used 3 from a box of 10 https://www.toolstation.com/smoke-pellets/p38123. I used a joss stick to locate draughts in the house, but it wasn't man enough for the gale coming from the heat pump.

I've been thinking of ways to redirect the cold air out of the well but I'm going to try a couple of experiments first before I reveal anything in case of embarrassing failures !! Possibly a lockdown project but I'd like to set something up asap as it's going to be -1deg in the small hours of Tuesday.

Hi Newbie, though you are rapidly becoming an Oldbie.

I don't think a few sticks of smoke will make much difference in the great scheme of things, just think of all the emissions you will be saving when your heat pump is running like a Rolls Royce.

One way to prevent the cold air from being drawn back into the heat pump, would be put a partition down the side of your home level with the front of the heat pump, and above the height of the fence. In that way the air being drawn into the heat pump should be from the warmer regions.

Another way would be to dig a big hole for the cold air to go in to. 🙃 Though I'm not an expert on holes, so I don't know how big it would need to be. 🙄

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heat-pump-newbie

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Topic starter 27/12/2021 9:22 pm

We tried moving the little shed away from the fence to channel the cold air down behind the garden room, it was an improvement on the original airflow. However, today we've turned it round in an attempt to block the cold air from coming back into the heat pump. Not sure it's entirely successful as it was breezy and getting blown back over the top, but I'll get some temperature readings tomorrow.