Heat pump, water tank, radiators and piping were installed last week (lounge got one very large radiator instead of two small).  I have a remote control / thermostat that I can use on manual to control the temperature I want. I have no clue where the ecodan control screen is hiding. So right now it's being used the wrong way. Awaiting some instruction and help to set up melcloud app. 

I have basic manufacturers install instruction paperwork.  No survey paperwork yet. 

It seems we will be getting some additional insulation as there is an appointment for them to attend today.

Wednesday they will start the boxing-in.  Also scaffolders will set up scaffolding ready for the solar install on Thursday. 

Next week on Friday we get ventillation installs. 

That's all I know so far. 

@ellyse Your world is full of excitement! I hope it all goes well for you and that the system installation will be one you can be proud to show off! Re: the Ecodan control screen, perhaps it is close to the water tank and the electrics for the valves. I don’t think it would be outside within the pump cabinet though - but, who knows? Regards, Toodles.

Posted by: @ellyse

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I have a remote control / thermostat that I can use on manual to control the temperature I want.

If the heat pump has been properly commissioned, then it should be maintaining the 'set temperature' as defined in the design, which was based on the heat-loss surveys.

Moving a manual control in an attempt to set a lower temperature is inefficient.
The Heat Pump will start cycling on/off, which uses a lot more electricity.

Posted by: @ellyse

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I have basic manufacturers install instruction paperwork.

You should have site-specific paperwork, describing the entire system which has actually been installed in your home.

It must include instructions on how to operate and maintain the system so as to use as little input power as possible.
That's a requirement of the Building Regulations.

If you don't have that, then the installation doesn't yet comply with the regulations.

Feel free to point the installation engineers to these comments from us.
We will happily provide them with whatever is required to ensure that your heat pump is satisfactorily installed.

@transparent The day they switched it on they set the temperature to 25C and wanted us to leave it there overnight. We were way to hot so I reduced it to 21 on the remote/thermostat. 

He did say the flow was set to 50. I asked if that wasn't high so he reduced it to 45.  He has not demonstrated how to use anything yet.  They have several more installations on this mini-estate so whether he'll come back or not I don't know. 

I do need to find and alter hot water settings. We are on a night/day tariff, and after washing up dinner pots the water heating runs right away. I need it to wait for night rate. We use very little hot water after that.

@ellyse - There may have been a reason why your system needed to start its life with a high temperature run...
... although I can't think of one.

Nevertheless, the system must have been designed for a particular Inside Air Temperature (IAT) because that's a requirement of the MCS installation rules.
It will have been stipulated on the documentation which you do not appear to have been given.

If the installer is simply reducing the flow (Leaving Water Temperature) to 45°C in response to your comment, then it doesn't sound to me as if the system is Commissioned.

Commissioning is quite separate from running up the system to check for leaks and to ensure it's operational.

It involves configuring the software to optimise the amount of electricity being used against the quantity of heat being delivered into the home.
Commissioning will have a pre-defined check list, written by the installer, and a sequence which he has gone through to confirm those points.
It's a written document, which forms part of the documentation you should receive.

Here are extracts from Part-L of the Building Regulations which refer to commissioning:

@ellyse my heat pump was also set to 50c which might be default, i reduced it to 35c it was eating electricity and cycling all the time, but that was after all the other faults were rectified.  I switched off the legionella cycle since we use a fair bit of water and the domestic water is set at 50c. Legionella dies off at that, just a bit slower. My controller has settings for the water, economy, standard and a boost, I keep mine on standard.  There is also a setting for when you want it to reheat after using a quantity and on mine it seems to be a timer.  Mine suddenly would sit at 35 for ages and was a setting they had changed. You can of course turn off your water but the reheat I suspect would be expensive . I simply leave mine on standard and it seems to be ok, 2 quid a day so far for all my electricity needs. Photos would help keep you right.  You get a thing called stratification where cold mixes with the hot water so even if you used no water it would cool to a degree as it mixes with the cold in the cylinder.   They say the lower the flow temp the better, but a starting point seems to be 35c flow with the return being 30c the DT it’s called and that’s when the balancing the system bit comes in. Using the room stat causes cycling which is bad for the system and your pocket.

@ellyse Going back to the heat pump 50 degrees C flow rate; this is the bane of most owner’s lives - at the behest of MCS. Ok, if you are having a system installed under a grant scheme, it may well be best to let them commission and then provide you with the documents before attempting to make adjustments.

MCS advise their installers to set 50 degrees C by default - and that is the temperature they base the heat loss and boiler + radiator sizing on. There appears to be some degree of rear-end covering built in to this requirement and as the home owner, you pay for it!!!

Once all the kefuffle is over (and by then, you will know more about the controller that is hiding from you), you can then reduce the flow temperature in stages and also ensure that Weather Compensation is switched on - some installers are suspicious of that too!

You might also find that once you have reduced the flow temperature down and improved the efficiency of the system, you might want to balance the radiators. But, one thing at a time; if you reduce the flow to 45 degrees C for a start, then progressively reduce further and leave a setting for 24 hours to settle, you should soon find what works for you. If the radiators are sufficiently large, then they well provide enough heat when well below 50 degrees C. Keep us posted please! Regards, Toodles.

Posted by: @toodles

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MCS advise their installers to set 50 degrees C by default

Do you have a reference for that directive @toodles ?

Before raising issues with her installer, @ellyse will need to sure that she can back up any comments with evidence.

Personally I'd be wary of making alterations to a system which isn't yet Commissioned.
She's on very strong ground if she declines to accept the system as is.

That puts the onus on the installer to present her with the site-specific information which should include

• the operating temperatures, as calculated in the survey
• the commissioning plan, with evidence that each point has been verified

Hidden between items on our shelves in the room the tank/ecodan now is I just found a 'commisioning and service pack. 

legionella protection 70c every 7 days

circulating pump speed settings 5

domestic hot water 15L/min

flow temp 50c ,  return temp 47c

refrigerant R32  2kg

Heating mode:

flow temp 50c,  return temp 47c

Hot water mode:

150L cylinder

target temp 50c, heat up 45 min

Additional info:

incoming static cold water pressure 3.0

type of control system  Y plan

Unvented systems:

pressure reducing valve situated on cylinder

setting 8 bar

That's about all I have so far. 

@ellyse not sure what’s going on here but 50c water flow is too high, 70c for legionella is too high, gonna get someone burnt the cold water intake pressure is about right. No idea about pressure reducing valve, perhaps relief valve but 8 bar is a lot. I didn’t know you could plumb it on a Y plan but might be wrong. I expect a few interesting comments but as I say post photos

Posted by: @david999

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@ellyse not sure what’s going on here but 50c water flow is too high, 70c for legionella is too high, gonna get someone burnt the cold water intake pressure is about right. No idea about pressure reducing valve, perhaps relief valve but 8 bar is a lot. I didn’t know you could plumb it on a Y plan but might be wrong. I expect a few interesting comments but as I say post photos

Posted by: @david999

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Posted by: @david999

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@ellyse not sure what’s going on here but 50c water flow is too high, 70c for legionella is too high, gonna get someone burnt the cold water intake pressure is about right. No idea about pressure reducing valve, perhaps relief valve but 8 bar is a lot. I didn’t know you could plumb it on a Y plan but might be wrong. I expect a few interesting comments but as I say post photos

I did a quick check and I’m told if it’s y plan then you don’t have independent control over domestic hot water and heating, but one of the other boffins on here will clarify these points.  There is a utube channel where an installer and trainer called heat geek covers heating subjects. He recommends 35c flow and 30c return as a starting point, the lower the better. But the flow and return should not differ by more than 10c and ideally 5c.  The pump speed set at 5 means nothing and the flow rate needs to be determined and checked against manufacturers spec. 

 

Heat pumps should be operated with weather compensation otherwise you will spend 15-20% more than you need to.  It looks like this might have been set up at a fixed, high flow temperature, rather than on WC.  Either hot water or space heating should be enabled at any one time, controlled by the heat pump so it changes flow temperature to suit what it's heating

I'm not at all sure from the notes it has been set up that way.  If it hasn't then expect high bills.  Who installed this and did they know what they are doing?