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Air Source Heat Pumps (ASHPs)
Last Post by Peterr 3 years ago
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 Peterr
(@peterr)
Estimable Member Member
Joined: 4 years ago
Posts: 67
Topic starter 09/01/2022 3:06 pm  

Are they any standards that installers should be adhering to?

I'm particularly thinking about external pipework installation and condensate drains. Pictures below show ours in each case. I am particularly concerned about the pipework - the corner where the pipes go into the house are completely uninsulated, and there is no insulation behind the pipes - it looks as though they have just wrapped a single piece of insulation around the flow and return, and gaffer taped it in place!

IMG 20220109 135414010
IMG 20220109 135445873

   
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Mars
 Mars
(@editor)
Illustrious Member Admin
Joined: 4 years ago
Posts: 3324
09/01/2022 6:42 pm  

@peterr, I'm not a professional installer, but where the copper meets the pipe should, in my opinion be insulated. Wherever our copper pipework (flow and return) is "exposed" it is heavily insulated to prevent heat loss. I'll take a photo tomorrow of the pipework leaving our heat pump and heading underground to show how heavily installed it is.

What is the fully exposed copper pipe (left picture) for?

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 Peterr
(@peterr)
Estimable Member Member
Joined: 4 years ago
Posts: 67
Topic starter 10/01/2022 9:35 am  
Posted by: @editor

@peterr, I'm not a professional installer, but where the copper meets the pipe should, in my opinion be insulated. Wherever our copper pipework (flow and return) is "exposed" it is heavily insulated to prevent heat loss. I'll take a photo tomorrow of the pipework leaving our heat pump and heading underground to show how heavily installed it is.

What is the fully exposed copper pipe (left picture) for?

The fully exposed pipe is the pressure relief outlet from the unvented mains pressure hot water tank.

My feeling is that there is just not enough insulation around the flow and return, the back of the pipes next to the house is just as important as the front, as is the bit where it turns the corner into the wall, if not through the wall as well.


   
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 HydroS
(@hydros)
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Joined: 4 years ago
Posts: 59
10/01/2022 1:01 pm  
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@peterr I’m part of a trial looking at retrofitting ASHP to properties and my system was audited. The external insulation on the flow/return was picked up as not being good enough, along with other things. 
The external insulation is now 25mm think, outdoor type and painted with UV resistant paint. Here’s how it looks now.

 


   
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 Peterr
(@peterr)
Estimable Member Member
Joined: 4 years ago
Posts: 67
Topic starter 10/01/2022 1:29 pm  

@hydros 

Thanks for the pics, yours certainly looks a lot better than ours!

Should have been simple to do correctly first time around - yet another thing to add to the ever growing list for our installer 😠 


   
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