Energy resources are getting more expensive every day. And after them, the operation of heating and water heaters running on fossil fuels. Yet, we are surrounded by gigawatts of free thermal energy that can be used for these purposes. We are talking about the thermal energy of air, earth, and water, which the pumps convert into useful heat. According to the latest projections, by the middle of this century, geothermal systems will take over almost half of the heating systems in the world.

The Alpha Mechanical company provides a full range of services for heat pump system installation in Sacramento. They have been designing, installing, and maintaining heating systems with heat pumps for years. And during this time they were convinced that the most important stage in their construction was installation. However, to understand the complexity of installing a heat pump, you need to understand its device.

The device and principle of operation of the heat pump

The heat pump works on the principle of a refrigerator. Of course, they perform different functions, but they obey the same laws of thermodynamics. Both units store heat in one place, convert and redirect it to another.

The heat pump itself does not generate heat, but stores it. To do this, it consumes electricity. Moreover, it is very efficient – 5-7 kW of heat accounts for 1 kW of electricity. Therefore, to heat a house with an area of 100m2 and supply it with water, you will need a heat pump of only 2.5 kW.

It would seem that such savings should increase the popularity of heating systems with heat pumps. So why are they so rare? It’s all about the input cost of equipment and preliminary work.

The high cost of a heat pump lies in its design. It consists of:

1. The evaporator takes heat from the source and gives it to freon.
2. The compressor compresses the heated freon and raises its temperature to the desired one.
3. The condenser transfers heat to the inside of the heating system.
4. The expansion valve reduces the pressure of the freon when it returns to the evaporator.

In total, there are three principles of operation of water geothermal systems: ● water – water;

• air – water;
• soil – water.

The first part is a source of thermal energy, and the second is a receiver (in converter heating systems, it is replaced by air).

Heat pump installation

The process of installing a heating system with a heat pump can be divided into three stages:

• installation of an external heat collection system;
• heat pump installation;
• installation of the internal heating circuit.

Installation of an air-to-water geothermal system

The easiest air-to-water system to install, which accumulates heat directly from the environment. Its installation does not require drilling a well or installing a probe line. All you have to do is install the heat pump and connect it to the evaporator.

A heat pump is similar in size to an air conditioner. Actually, the installation of these devices is very similar. The only drawback of the geothermal air-to-water system is that it cannot heat the house at sub-zero temperatures. But if the air temperature outside the window is from 0oC to 15oC, then the efficiency of such a system is simply excellent. Therefore, it is perfect for regions where the temperature in winter does not fall below zero.

Installation of the geothermal system “soil – water”

For the heat pump to accumulate heat from the ground, a well is drilled in the ground with a diameter of 20 cm and a depth of 50 m to 150 m, depending on the depth of freezing. In this case, the evaporator goes down and transfers heat with the help of a compressor through the refrigerant to the top.

Heating system with heat pump “water – water”

Geothermal systems such as “water – water” can be effectively used if there is a large enough pond near the house. As a heat sink in such a system, a special line of probes is used, which is laid along the bottom of the reservoir in the water column free from freezing. Otherwise, the operation of the “water – water” system does not differ from the others.

Mounting features

In such work, it is very important to take into account the fact that during the operation of the heat pump, the temperature of the heat exchanger of the outdoor unit drops sharply. This is due to the fact that the environment gives off its heat to freon.

Outdoor air has a certain humidity index, which provokes the crystallization of water vapor, the periodic formation of frost. To remove it, the defrost system must be activated, Alpha Mechanical experts say.

The melted water will drain into the cavity of the pan, and be discharged to the outside through the drainage hole. There is heating on the pallet of the block and the lower part of the heat exchanger. However, frost often accumulates under the bottom of the block – frozen water.

Therefore, you need to pay attention to the following points:

1. When installing the heat pump outdoor unit, check that the drain hole on the bottom plate and the space below it are not clogged with fine debris or building dust.
2. The level of location of the outdoor unit depends on how high the snow masses form on the surface of the ground below it. The structure must be placed well above this mark so that ice and snow do not clog the drain hole.
3. It is forbidden to install outdoor units of several pumps one above the other. During the activation of the defrosting mode of the upper case, the lower case may suffer, as it will simply be flooded with water. This will lead to serious damage, and possibly to a short circuit.

Summing it up

Installing a heat pump allows you to effectively solve the problem of heating a private house by obtaining renewable thermal energy from the environment. This installation has rather compact sizes that allow the use of the equipment in the conditions of a private house.

For uninterrupted operation, the pump can use only a quarter of the received thermal energy. The correct installation of heat pumps for heating depends on the efficiency and durability of work in different operating conditions, as well as taking into account the climatic features of the area.