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jeff5may · 07-18-15, 01:12 PM

Many ecorenovators have built heat pump water heaters out of what have you.

Xringer bought a manufactured unit and installed it in an electric water heater. He uses the electric element as a power dump for his pv panels, and the heat pump does the rest. He has been ecorenovating for a while, and has replaced his oil-burning boiler for all practical purposes. He is still keeping it on standby, maybe for the imminent global collapse or zombie apocalypse.

Randen built one out of an old water heater and a 5000 btu air conditioner. He quickly whipped the unit together, made it look nice, and put it into service. Works like magic. He is a workaholic, and has many detailed projects either finished or in process in numerous threads on this forum. Much of his work ends up looking better than something you can go out and buy.

Before

After

Memphis91 just built one with a DX evaporator in a borehole. This rig has the most energy saving potential, and has less moving parts than the other two. How much potential has yet to be chronicled, but initial numbers look promising. Unlike the other two, Jake's unit doesn't dehumidify the air or cool the living space. This may or may not be important or necessary to you. He also has other projects in the works as we speak. I would put up a picture of the completed rig, but he hasn't posted one.

These units are all working today in one place or another as you read this post, quietly saving their owners energy and providing exactly what they were built for. If you ask any of them, the build process was not quite as difficult as you might think. It is easy to get stuck in the thought process, trying to visualize and optimize things and such. Once the major components are gathered, start building it. Details will pop up in the build process that you never thought of. But once you start building, the unit will come together quickly.

After you have a working unit to try out, you can run it however you want. There is nothing stopping you from revising something in place. But if all you have is ideas on paper, you are not saving any energy. The solar panels/DX loop/windmill can come later. This stuff is addictive, so once you start building something, the process becomes contagious. You end up with something that is better than you could have planned for.

07-18-15, 01:12 PM	#6
jeff5may Supreme EcoRenovator Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: elizabethtown, ky, USA Posts: 2,428 Thanks: 431 Thanked 619 Times in 517 Posts	Many ecorenovators have built heat pump water heaters out of what have you. Xringer bought a manufactured unit and installed it in an electric water heater. He uses the electric element as a power dump for his pv panels, and the heat pump does the rest. He has been ecorenovating for a while, and has replaced his oil-burning boiler for all practical purposes. He is still keeping it on standby, maybe for the imminent global collapse or zombie apocalypse. Randen built one out of an old water heater and a 5000 btu air conditioner. He quickly whipped the unit together, made it look nice, and put it into service. Works like magic. He is a workaholic, and has many detailed projects either finished or in process in numerous threads on this forum. Much of his work ends up looking better than something you can go out and buy. Before After Memphis91 just built one with a DX evaporator in a borehole. This rig has the most energy saving potential, and has less moving parts than the other two. How much potential has yet to be chronicled, but initial numbers look promising. Unlike the other two, Jake's unit doesn't dehumidify the air or cool the living space. This may or may not be important or necessary to you. He also has other projects in the works as we speak. I would put up a picture of the completed rig, but he hasn't posted one. These units are all working today in one place or another as you read this post, quietly saving their owners energy and providing exactly what they were built for. If you ask any of them, the build process was not quite as difficult as you might think. It is easy to get stuck in the thought process, trying to visualize and optimize things and such. Once the major components are gathered, start building it. Details will pop up in the build process that you never thought of. But once you start building, the unit will come together quickly. After you have a working unit to try out, you can run it however you want. There is nothing stopping you from revising something in place. But if all you have is ideas on paper, you are not saving any energy. The solar panels/DX loop/windmill can come later. This stuff is addictive, so once you start building something, the process becomes contagious. You end up with something that is better than you could have planned for. Last edited by jeff5may; 07-18-15 at 03:20 PM..