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Emptying our Aira system while radiators and pipes are moved?

 
Air Source Heat Pumps (ASHPs)
Last Post by Mars 2 years ago
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 smedley_odwin
(@smedley_odwin)
New Member Member
Joined: 2 years ago
Posts: 2
Topic starter 23/10/2024 10:43 am   [#1788]

Hi all first time poster

We had an Aira system fitted several months back. We’ve got builders fitting a new kitchen and building a new utility so needs to empty the system in order to do so. I cannot find any details in the manual provided at all and it’s the first time they’ve worked with an air source system. I have mailed Aira asking them to provide details but wondered if it was something you guys could advise on?



   
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Abernyte
 Abernyte
(@abernyte)
Reputable Member Member
Joined: 4 years ago
Posts: 264
23/10/2024 2:41 pm  

If you are to be draining the primary system then watch out if you have a glycol mix as the fluid.  Not only is it messy stuff it is expensive...too expensive to dump out via the drain. It is better recovered and re injected when the system is refilled.  You might need a heating engineer with the correct kit.



   
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Mars
 Mars
(@editor)
Illustrious Member Admin
Joined: 5 years ago
Posts: 4798
23/10/2024 4:36 pm  

Posted by: @abernyte
↑

Not only is it messy stuff it is expensive...too expensive to dump out via the drain.

It's also extremely toxic and very bad for the environment, so there's a lot of reasons of recapture and reutilise.


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 Anonymous 5011
(@Anonymous 5011)
Joined: 4 years ago
Posts: 562
23/10/2024 6:31 pm  

Posted by: @editor
↑

also extremely toxic

If it's for domestic heating systems it's not toxic at all. It's not the same as car antifreeze.

The chemist used in a domestic heat system is Food Grade Inhibited Propylene Glycol.

 



   
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Mars
 Mars
(@editor)
Illustrious Member Admin
Joined: 5 years ago
Posts: 4798
23/10/2024 10:36 pm  

@johnmo I’m not a glycol expert, but I know that when it comes to glycol used in heat pump systems, the two most common types are propylene glycol and ethylene glycol.

The key difference between propylene glycol and ethylene glycol lies in their toxicity and performance. Propylene glycol is less toxic but has a higher viscosity than ethylene glycol, which means it doesn’t transfer heat quite as efficiently, particularly at lower temperatures. Despite this, propylene glycol is favoured in many cases due to its environmental and safety advantages, but it still has additives and should be disposed of properly.


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 smedley_odwin
(@smedley_odwin)
New Member Member
Joined: 2 years ago
Posts: 2
Topic starter 23/10/2024 11:00 pm  

Thanks guys spoke to the engineer from Aira and am all sorted. No glycol in the system and he’s happy for my heating engineer to call him tomorrow. Great service from them. 



   
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Mars
 Mars
(@editor)
Illustrious Member Admin
Joined: 5 years ago
Posts: 4798
23/10/2024 11:05 pm  

@smedley_odwin I think it’s great your system is glycol free, but I am a bit surprised because most large installers just do it by default. Do you know if you have antifreeze valves installed?


New to heat pumps? Take the Heat Pump Fundamentals course and use INTRO50 at checkout for 50% off.
Rewritten and updated for 2027
📘 From Zero to Heat Pump Hero
🛠️ Bodge Buster
🎧 Prefer to listen? Heat Pumps Explained – use AUDIO50 at checkout for 50% off.


   
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