Hydronic plinth heaters and ASHPs
Hi all,
Wondering if anyone had experience of the above, combined with ASHPs?
Redoing our kitchen at the moment. UFH is a no go. Looking at the plinth heaters some of the larger ones will just about meet the heat loss of my kitchen (pretty much dead on in fact), and will involve significantly less plumbing work than what I was looking at doing with having to move/change the radiator to accommodate the plans with the units.
Thanks
We have one and it’s a bit undersized since it was the original on the hotter water gas system. But nevertheless we only needed to flick it on for a few hours this last winter.
The only subtlety is it has to be on the summer setting (Myson 1kW) since on the winter setting the fan switches off when the flow temperature is below a (can’t remember) value.
It works very well because being fan driven the wattage reduction with flow temperature is not as steep as a radiator.
2kW + Growatt & 4kW +Sunnyboy PV on south-facing roof Solar thermal. 9.5kWh Givenergy battery with AC3. MVHR. Vaillant 7kW ASHP (very pleased with it) open system operating on WC
@judith thanks. Good to know yours is working well. There do appear to be some that cater for lower flow temps, as in fan won't switch off on certain models, which is good. The only thing I can't quite get my head around is how they would be balanced as a normal radiator would, with lockshields, and whether this would lead to inefficiencies. I could get a radiator into the revised plans it would involve taking a fair few floorboards up, and I think extending the tees to the radiator around 3 metres as well to get it over the other side of the room.
Posted by: @bensonThe only thing I can't quite get my head around is how they would be balanced as a normal radiator would, with lockshields, and whether this would lead to inefficiencies
I have a mitsubishi wall mounted fancoil which is I think essentially the same construction as a plinth heater. No hydronic balancing needed, it modulates the fan speed to adjust the temperature. Great piece of kit except that it turns off when the water temp goes below 30C and this figure is not adjustable, which could cause problems at the ends of the season. For me it's just about ok but I can see it may be problematic in some cases.
4kW peak of solar PV since 2011; EV and a 1930s house which has been partially renovated to improve its efficiency. 7kW Vaillant heat pump.
@jamespa we should be ok as the model I'm looking at has the same cut off (30) and our min flow temp is 35.
Would the reduced volume in the system be a problem do you think? Our current kitchen radiator is a fair size albeit we do have 17 radiators in total so it is a relatively small proportion of the total.
Posted by: @benson@jamespa we should be ok as the model I'm looking at has the same cut off (30) and our min flow temp is 35.
Would the reduced volume in the system be a problem do you think? Our current kitchen radiator is a fair size albeit we do have 17 radiators in total so it is a relatively small proportion of the total.
Unless your defrost is already marginal I can't see it making a material difference but of course you could, if you were concerned, do the calculation or add a volumiser when the system is drained.
4kW peak of solar PV since 2011; EV and a 1930s house which has been partially renovated to improve its efficiency. 7kW Vaillant heat pump.
@judith off the topic, but just saw in your signature that you MVHR. Was that a retrofit install?
Pre-order: The Ultimate Guide to Heat Pumps
Subscribe and follow our Homeowners’ Q&A heat pump podcast
@benson will you be proceeding with the plinth heaters and which brand(s) are you considering?
Pre-order: The Ultimate Guide to Heat Pumps
Subscribe and follow our Homeowners’ Q&A heat pump podcast
@editor yes I think so. It will be a while until I get around to fitting it but just need to plan for pipework etc hence researching early. It was the Thermix ones I was looking at which are specifically designed for ASHPs and lower flow temps.
- 26 Forums
- 2,151 Topics
- 47.2 K Posts
- 28 Online
- 5,666 Members
Podcast Picks
Latest Posts
-
RE: Help me keep the faith with my air source heat pump installation
@adamk, interesting point. I’ve not focused much on Hea...
By Mars , 6 minutes ago
-
RE: Midea ASHP – how to set weather compensation
@jamespa thanks Surely the 45C number is just the wat...
By pash44pump , 39 minutes ago
-
RE: is a home battery without an EV worth it?
@jamespa having just had a heat pump installed I do won...
By AdamK , 9 hours ago
-
Intelligent Octopus Flux (IOF) Review
I promised @toodles that I would provide an update and ...
By Old_Scientist , 12 hours ago
-
RE: Electricity price predictions
Seems a lease to a 3rd party to place a battery inside ...
By Scalextrix , 13 hours ago
-
RE: Octopus tariffs - a quick comparison
Interesting comparison! Another good angle is the dif...
By HCas , 15 hours ago
-
RE: Solar Power Output – Let’s Compare Generation Figures
@julianc Our solar PV has produced more this August tha...
By Toodles , 22 hours ago
-
RE: Who's your electricity provider and what's your tariff?
I am pleased to see the change. We definitely need t...
By Jeff , 1 day ago
-
RE: A Customer's Lessons Learnt from a Heat Pump Installation in a Large House
@jamespa Crossing sheep with kangaroos?
By Toodles , 2 days ago
-
RE: How Do I Know When the Hot Water Has Run Out?
@transparent that is a very interesting suggestion, tha...
By GrahamF , 3 days ago
-
RE: The good, the bad and the not that great – my heat pump installation
Sorry to resurrect this thread, but it is sort of relev...
By cathodeRay , 3 days ago
-
RE: Getting the best out of a heat pump - is Homely a possible answer?
I missed your 22nd June post on this. I am sure it can ...
By cathodeRay , 3 days ago
-
Now posting on the right topic.... With general build...
By benson , 3 days ago
-
RE: How to waste energy (and time) playing with AI.
I’m sure like many software toys that it is addictive! ...
By Judith , 3 days ago
-
RE: Does anyone have experience of a smart water meter?
@judith With Anglia Water it was a compulsory upgr...
By TechnoGeek , 3 days ago
-
RE: Balancing financial efficiency and comfort using the Octopus Cosy tariff
We’re high energy users other than the ashp so the OVO ...
By Judith , 4 days ago
-
RE: What crazy nonsense are inverter limits and why are they imposed?
No I'm not mining anything @drei but I am doing R&...
By Transparent , 4 days ago
-
RE: Rodents! A word of warning for heat pump owners
Wasps caused frequent tripping of my lighting circuit a...
By JamesPa , 4 days ago
-
RE: Ecodan & MelCloud scheduling
Yes, the 2 are separate. To add to the complex desig...
By HCas , 6 days ago
-
I should clarify that the FoxESS web interface is not l...
By Old_Scientist , 6 days ago