In our last article, Xringer had the refrigerant added to the heat pump and was able to power it up and use it for the first time. In this article we’ll look at the finishing touches he had to do to button everything up. Then, we’ll go over the results he has had with the heat pump.
To start out, Xringer had planned on using the heat pump not only for the air conditioning in summer, but also to reduce the use of his oil burning boiler that used to be his primary source of heat in winter. To keep the heat pump clear of snow, he made a simple frame out of PVC pipe. Then, he covered the frame with some corrugated plastic. The canopy was used all of last winter with the heat pump and did a great job of keeping the area around it clear of snow.
The next thing on the to do list was finish insulating and taping up the refrigerant lines. With the connections tested and known to be good, it was time to cover them up with insulation and tape. This will keep things running as efficiently as possible year round.
The last thing Xringer decided to do was to install an efergy energy measuring gauge. This helped him keep track of the power usage of the heat pump. This also helped him figure out how to best use the heat pump at its highest efficiency.
Speaking of energy measuring, Xringer did post some energy usage from the heat pump. He also compares it to the usage of his oil burning boiler. So, head on over to his forum thread to get an idea of his energy usage and results from the heat pump. He has almost a years worth of experience with the heat pump and has been nice enough to keep us updated with all the big and little issues that have crept up. I don’t think I’d be giving anything away, so I’ll sum up with the fact that Xringer has been incredibly happy with the heat pump.
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Related posts:
- DIY Sanyo Air Source Heat Pump Install – Pressure Testing & Adding Refrigerant
- DIY Sanyo Air Source Heat Pump Install – Installing the Outdoor Unit
- DIY Sanyo Air Source Heat Pump Install – Getting Things Ready
- DIY Sanyo Air Source Heat Pump Install – Installing the Indoor Unit
- DIY Sanyo Air Conditioner / Heat Pump Install
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
Hi Xringer!
I was going to build an outdoor unit cover similar to yours at my last house, but moved before I got to it! I did an experiment measuring the warm afternoon west side of my house versus the east shaded side of the house, and it was at over 10 degrees cooler in the shade! When the heat pump at that house was installed, I went out of my way to locate it at the northeast side of the house, where it would have sun reflected off the house in the morning, but shade in the afternoon. The HVAC installer thought I was nuts to do it that way since it was on the opposite side from the indoor unit in the garage until I told him why.