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jeff5may · 11-18-12, 08:21 PM

AC,

I think I'm beginning to get the bug you speak of... I'm getting ideas on how to improve upon this creation already. As it is, I can live with it until after Thanksgiving. It puts out lots of heat until outdoor temps hit about 35 degrees F. It then starts dropping in output down to about 25, where the coil outside just isn't big enough to absorb the load. Heat production peters out at about 20. I don't have concrete numbers to throw around, but I learned a lot about TXV metered setups with this one. While tweaking / observing this unit, I could see what the valve was doing on the gauge and feel the resulting temperature swing indoors. Man, these things fight for you while you're not there. I can see why the establishment charges so much for them: they're worth it.

You amateur experts seem to be finding the same thing: whether air or water source, the outdoor loop of the system has to be made larger than you think. A bigger loop translates to better performance and costs more. Too small is cheaper, but when you need it the most, your loop has nothing to give. No amount of conjuring or conniving will help move more heat.

So for this unit, I'm satisfied with it down to about 25 degrees F. In Kentucky, the average winter lows are in the 20's or 30's. The only time the temp stays below 25 for long is during a cold snap. Temps will drop into single digits at night. After three or less days, temps are back into the 30's and up. So this unit will work well probably 350 days of the year, at least during the daytime. On the coldest 15, it can freeze with the rest of us.

11-18-12, 08:21 PM	#34
jeff5may Supreme EcoRenovator Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: elizabethtown, ky, USA Posts: 2,428 Thanks: 431 Thanked 619 Times in 517 Posts	AC, I think I'm beginning to get the bug you speak of... I'm getting ideas on how to improve upon this creation already. As it is, I can live with it until after Thanksgiving. It puts out lots of heat until outdoor temps hit about 35 degrees F. It then starts dropping in output down to about 25, where the coil outside just isn't big enough to absorb the load. Heat production peters out at about 20. I don't have concrete numbers to throw around, but I learned a lot about TXV metered setups with this one. While tweaking / observing this unit, I could see what the valve was doing on the gauge and feel the resulting temperature swing indoors. Man, these things fight for you while you're not there. I can see why the establishment charges so much for them: they're worth it. You amateur experts seem to be finding the same thing: whether air or water source, the outdoor loop of the system has to be made larger than you think. A bigger loop translates to better performance and costs more. Too small is cheaper, but when you need it the most, your loop has nothing to give. No amount of conjuring or conniving will help move more heat. So for this unit, I'm satisfied with it down to about 25 degrees F. In Kentucky, the average winter lows are in the 20's or 30's. The only time the temp stays below 25 for long is during a cold snap. Temps will drop into single digits at night. After three or less days, temps are back into the 30's and up. So this unit will work well probably 350 days of the year, at least during the daytime. On the coldest 15, it can freeze with the rest of us.