Vaillant Arotherm Plus issues - circulation, efficiency and performance – heat pump horror story
@saz Looks better than what we have, ours is just black pipe lagging and goes a lot further outside than yours does
@witchcraft There isn't much to speak of in the way of lagging on the pipes as it has all been ripped off.
@webcmg Hi, unfortunately this whole situation has caused a massive relapse in my health condition so I have had to shelve things for the time being and recover enough to be able to carry on monitoring and pushing for various things to be solved. With it being Summer I have a bit of breathing space. I am still not happy with things tbh, and dreading Winter.
@webcmg Unfortunately I'm still trying to get to the bottom of all the issues here and there is a long list. It's all affected me really badly. I'm still experiencing endless pressure drops and I'm also really unhappy with the COPs I'm getting and the running costs. The feeling I'm getting at the moment having talked to a number of different people about my case is that efficiency is not given the priority it should have. Despite pumps being marketed as super efficient, 'costing less' (I have huge issues with those blanket statements), they are often designed and installed sub-optimally, on old unsuitable pipework and left on high default temps etc. and noone cares because it 'works' and they are not the ones left with the bills.
Hi,
Another Vaillant Heatpump user here.
Pardon my English.
Wanted to let you know I'm in a similar situation.
VWL 105/5 AS + 127/5 IS
VR71 + VRC700 + wireless module
The IS is connected to a buffertank.
Tot this buffertank I also have connected a wood burner.
The VR71 has a tank top sensor S2
And a sysflow sensor (s1) which measures the temperature going to the radiators. (after tje circ pump)
The VR71 has two connected actuators, the circ pump to the radiators and a blender valve(?) which mixes in cold (retur) water to reach a desired flow temp to the radiators. (R1 and R7/R8).
The previous year there was no problem, when the temperature (not sure Sysflow or tank top) was reached the compressor stopped, and also the charge pump stopped (from hydraulics(? VWL 127/5 IS) to buffer).
Now the compressor does stop. But the charging pump keeps running.
When I stop te pump manually (press the vwl reset button or take away the power to the compressor). The charging pump will stay off
...Until the 'return flow' from the VWL IS goes over 55°C, than it starts (and never stops pumping again). The weird thing is it heats up from the buffer tank via the hot water pipe, so from buffer to VWL IS (not the return pipe from buffer to VWL IS). So it's flowing the wrong way, very slowly but to quick to 'just be' shifting in standing still water.
When the temperature goes over this 55° the system want to cool itself down or something. So it's opening the blending valve and 55° water is pumped into the radiators! Even at -12 with a curve of 0,7 it asks for 46° to heat the house. With other words it's gettinf quite warm inside.
It empties 1500 L of water of all it's energy put in with the wood stove in several hours. Yesterday it was +5° and on an 80% loaded buffer we made it 24 hours without backup of the heat pump.The buffer is normally separated from the extra 1000L of water, a manual top valve is closed, a bottom one still open for pressure from an open expanding pressure barrel(?). This also means we get a pressure of around 0,7 bars. It's located 7 meters above the heating system. They disconnected the pressure sensor and put in some resistors so it always displays 3,5 bars.
The system is controlled by an outdoor temperature sensor (and only by that one). The sensor goes in in a circuit board in the VWL IS (so not into the VR71).
There is also another tank top sensor which goes in into the same circuit board on the VWL IS.
Now this all only happens when it's below 4°C (frost protection). But it never happend last winter.
This only happens when we burn the wood stove. The max temperature setting on the VRC700 is 55°C. And the max temp in the buffer tank reaches maybe 70 to 80 degrees. Which is not to much for the VWL IS.
For domestic hot water we have a boiler and spiral going through the buffer tank. So the Domestic hot water is turned of on the VRC700. The pipes coming and going to the VWL IS from/to the buffer are connected.
I have looked at all the available manuals, and all the available settings both on the VRC and the VWL.
I don't understand why this happens. And only below 4°.
I contacted the installer and Vaillant itself. After a few month of testing and mailing with the installer and Vaillant. I got offered an on/off switch to be connected to the S21 on the VWL (if I remember correct). But in my opinion this is not solving the problem, but only working around it. Well... offered.. He thought I need that 'orange box'. But why? When it worked before.
If anyone has an idea to try, I'd be very happy.
I can even share all the settings if you want to.
I chose to not create a new post, as I think this is so much alike to the OP's problem. Including that the support from the installer and Vaillant feels very hard to reach and not very supportive at all.
@saz, welcome back to the forums. When last we spoke you were under severe pressure with your landlord and the heat pump you had. Did you finally get some sort of resolution?
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