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michael · 03-23-13, 01:40 PM

And there's more...the first thing being that the heat pump manifesto thread is one hell of a long thread, and pretty slow going if any of it is going to really get absorbed. I'm not getting anything done while I work my way through all those posts, but it's very interesting. That hardly says it!

I'm on the this message board in hopes of getting ideas for switching our heating systems from oil fired to electric heat pumps. I don't want to build my own, but I do want to install the system, and this seems like the first place I've found where I can get some practical advice for doing it. There are two houses on this property with radiant floors installed. I did the installation of one 25 years ago, and the other about 15. They both use 1/2" polybutylene tubing...it's what was available then. The first one used the manifold provided by the manufacturer, and since it was never pressurized, it lasted until last year when it began to leak, so I built a new manifold (ten loops of about 200' each) using Sharkbite connectors. It's pressurized now to 12 psi, and the system still works well. The newer one has always been pressurized, and they both run off of Bock 30 gal. oil fired water heaters. I built both heat exchangers from 1" and 1/2" copper tubing, so the floor loop water is kept separate from the water in the Bock heater, and they have worked flawlessly since installation.

However, I'd like to get off fuel oil. I began a process of making us less fossil fuel dependent two years ago when I designed and built a 5.5kW solar array. I think I'll put that information on another thread in the appropriate forum, but it got me thinking about how good it would be to stop burning fuel oil. We generate more electricity than we use, so it makes sense to me. I'm not the least bit worried about the mechanical aspect of converting to a heat pump, and I don't mind the thought of purchasing a new, appropriately sized one, but I'm daunted by the ground source heat exchanger. I understand AC's suggestion that we use an ASHP instead, but it will require back up, it's less efficient, and for plenty of other irrational reasons, I am stuck on the idea of ground source. As for now, I'll just keep reading the manifesto. mm

03-23-13, 01:40 PM	#8
michael Michael Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: mendocino, california Posts: 67 Thanks: 7 Thanked 2 Times in 2 Posts	And there's more...the first thing being that the heat pump manifesto thread is one hell of a long thread, and pretty slow going if any of it is going to really get absorbed. I'm not getting anything done while I work my way through all those posts, but it's very interesting. That hardly says it! I'm on the this message board in hopes of getting ideas for switching our heating systems from oil fired to electric heat pumps. I don't want to build my own, but I do want to install the system, and this seems like the first place I've found where I can get some practical advice for doing it. There are two houses on this property with radiant floors installed. I did the installation of one 25 years ago, and the other about 15. They both use 1/2" polybutylene tubing...it's what was available then. The first one used the manifold provided by the manufacturer, and since it was never pressurized, it lasted until last year when it began to leak, so I built a new manifold (ten loops of about 200' each) using Sharkbite connectors. It's pressurized now to 12 psi, and the system still works well. The newer one has always been pressurized, and they both run off of Bock 30 gal. oil fired water heaters. I built both heat exchangers from 1" and 1/2" copper tubing, so the floor loop water is kept separate from the water in the Bock heater, and they have worked flawlessly since installation. However, I'd like to get off fuel oil. I began a process of making us less fossil fuel dependent two years ago when I designed and built a 5.5kW solar array. I think I'll put that information on another thread in the appropriate forum, but it got me thinking about how good it would be to stop burning fuel oil. We generate more electricity than we use, so it makes sense to me. I'm not the least bit worried about the mechanical aspect of converting to a heat pump, and I don't mind the thought of purchasing a new, appropriately sized one, but I'm daunted by the ground source heat exchanger. I understand AC's suggestion that we use an ASHP instead, but it will require back up, it's less efficient, and for plenty of other irrational reasons, I am stuck on the idea of ground source. As for now, I'll just keep reading the manifesto. mm Last edited by michael; 03-23-13 at 08:53 PM..