@transparent Re your previous comments:

50 C DHW - I am experimenting with lower DHW temperatures to assess impact.

The cables you identify as needing clipping consist  of a) part of my existing solar PV system that had to be moved to allow installation of heat pump system, b) old unconnected and not used cable that originally powered loft lighting, and c) flexible cable to loft light.  None part of heat pump system.  The various cables on the side of the cylinder could perhaps be tidied up a bit with cable ties.

I intend to improve the insulation of the various valves etc.

@iancalderbank Thanks for suggestions on insulation of valves etc.  I intend to add further insulation at some point.

Re the why are

there three pumps question. See attached photo of cylinder during installation phase.

I very much agree with you tackling the pipe insulation yourself.
There are times like this when it isn't worthwhile trying to pressurize the installer to get it right.

There's a good range of pipe insulation available from BES under the Kaiman brand.

I prefer the Class-O insulation. You can find this elsewhere under the Armaflex brand.

BES stock lengths with a bore of 40mm - 56mm, which will probably cope with your valves.
Glue the edges and joins with an impact adhesive.

The exterior pipe insulation must be UV-resistant.
It's listed separately under the title "solar pipe insulation".

Seal all joins with adhesive-backed insulation tape, and use the same tape to prevent rain entering between pipe and insulation where it enters the back of the external fan unit.

Hello! Introducing myself (and my setup):

I'm self-building a house in west Wales and had a Grant Aerona 3 (10kw)  and a 300lt grant pre-plumbed tank installed and commissioned last February.

Generally very pleased with it: there were some small installer issues initially (i had to point out to them that they'd forgotten to fit a circulation pump, and that they'd fitted the expansion vessel on the wrong side of the check-valve), but spent the spring tweaking settings and working out how best to run it, and continued this autumn. Having downloaded the Chofu manual i experimented with running it in reverse during the hot june weather.

I had already installed UFH with a HP in mind, and there might be a plan for blown air heating upstairs, but once all the insulation is in i suspect that will be more useful for cooling in the summer,

Only other relevant info you might want is that i set up a small off-grid electrical system here when i moved in 11 yrs ago (before all these off-the-shelf hybrid inverters and batteries were widely available), incorporating 5000w pv, 400w hydro-electric, and a small 24v battery hooked up to a powerjack inverter (with the hydro, you can get away with a small battery - at least until you get a heat pump). I do have a grid connection (with octopus) via a changeover switch, but try to use only homeqrown leccy.

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Good evening,it's  really good to see a community of people prepared to share their journey with heat pumps etc and not try to sell you something! Well done for setting it up and moderating.

I am currently trying to get some info together about our ashp and ask for advise from members but it may take me a while to collect it.I'm not at all technical so I'm afraid alot of the language goes over my head, not helped by having almost zero handover from the installers.

@alisonp, welcome to the forums. When you're ready, start a dedicate topic focusing on your home and requirements.

@editor Hi there, new to this and hope members can help. Got a new Grant ASHP, great install, worked really well, then flow temps dropped and no obvious reason for it. Grant will come out but concerned about this as our experience of manufacturers isn't good (lack of knowledge, blaming install, etc.) and wonder what to expect/what to ask. Thanks.

@sentinam, welcome to the forums and good luck with Grant. Start up a new thread when you’re ready to share your story and feedback.

Evening all, I started a thread a week or so ago but just getting round to adding an intro. Currently doing all the research on ASHP matters and this seems to be the place to do that.

We've just bought our first home in SW Scotland. It's an 1960 wimpey no fines house with external wall insulation added in the 80s or so. We're going through the process of getting an Eco 4 provider (Eco Providers Ltd) in to fit ASHP etc. Unfortunately due to the external wall insulation they won't fit any internal, and as the EWI is old I'm adding 50mm internal with breather membrane myself. Can't go back and do it once the plasterboard etc is up! The benefit is that I can get the installers to run all pipework inside walls. I think we are getting around 3.6kwh of solar, which is not as much as I wanted but the max they will do. They are also topping up the loft insulation to 270mm. So all in all I think once we are finished the house will be as insulated as we can get it. Most of my questions are in line with getting the best installation as possible. I'm well aware that the company fitting might not be the best, and my options are limited as this is a free (to me) service. I do know the ASHP will be a Grant Aerona on the south west corner, with the tank etc in the loft. I'm intending to lag all the pipes myself internally, and also externally if the stuff they put on isn't good enough.

Questions I want to ask them are:

- can we dispense with anything but the Grant/chorfu controller as that seems to be the best option

- will they make sure they enable WC for me

- Does the setup come with Eddi (if not can I supply)

- will they set pump flow and max flow temp low instead of full/high

As I say their design work isn't going to be the best I suspect, however I presume I'm best asking for the biggest rads possible? Am I also best asking for the biggest pump they will give me? There will be two zones in a 3 bed house, with the downstairs being mostly open plan and a big woodstove in the lounge. Is there a best position for the thermostats in this situation?

Can anyone suggest any other questions I should be asking at this stage?

Thanks - Josh

Posted by: @jwilliams89

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Can anyone suggest any other questions I should be asking at this stage?

I would be asking for a system which can be monitored remotely (password protected).
Then your installer can check symptoms before having to arrange a site visit.

If it has appropriate data-logging, you could also post actual data to this forum when requesting help.

No, I don't know of such a system, but I hope others here might have suggestions!

Posted by: @transparent

↑

Posted by: @jwilliams89

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Can anyone suggest any other questions I should be asking at this stage?

I would be asking for a system which can be monitored remotely (password protected).
Then your installer can check symptoms before having to arrange a site visit.

If it has appropriate data-logging, you could also post actual data to this forum when requesting help.

No, I don't know of such a system, but I hope others here might have suggestions!

According to the service plan for my recently installed Ecodan (FTC6), it features  "Online monitoring and remote system support from office".

As yet I have no experience of how comprehensive this is as the system has been working without problems since installation (2 months).

Does this meet the requirement?

Thanks for the suggestion @noburn

It's probable that the monitoring system you're referring to is specifically for Ecodan products. But @jwilliams89 is looking to get a Grant ASHP.

The other thing to consider here is whether the remote monitoring service is 'removed' from you if you don't continue to take out annual maintenance contracts.
If the data is being constantly streamed to a manufacturer's own database 'in the cloud' then they effectively control your data.
Those ongoing contracts can get very expensive... forming a lucrative source of income for the heat pump manufacturers and their approved installers.

It would good to know if there's a very simple generic solution to this monitoring issue.