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Old 06-29-12, 02:17 PM   #6
S-F
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The dehumidifier can also be used in the winter. And it probably should be. But they net increase the temperature.

The air in the attic will only be reasonable for a small portion of the year.

All of Vlad's points seem to be reasonable. In the summer the dehumidification and cooling is nice though.

You will have to make a bypass from your attic to the basement. You'd better be sure to insulate and seal that up really well when it's not in use.

I don't think you should do anything to make your house colder in the winter. If you need those two huge monster heat pumps to keep a ranch warm I personally think you have more pressing issues than concern for an extra $1 a day or so on oil to heat your water.

Honestly I see so many issues with this plan that my head is spinning. The amount of work and materials costs will negate any savings you will hope to achieve. We all need hobbies and tinkering with this thing might be a fun project but I wouldn't touch it and I couldn't in good conscience recommend it to anyone.

On a different note, I know a guy who has installed one of these hot water heat pumps and he runs his dryer exhaust through the coil. He coordinates large hot water usage with running the dryer. I have been thinking about using one of these in the summer ONLY! and reverting to gas in the winter.
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Last edited by S-F; 06-29-12 at 02:41 PM..
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