Hope to learn something

09-09-10, 08:24 PM

I don't have a manifesto like Skyl4rk. I'm just hoping to get some tips and tricks for installing a geothermal water source heat pump. I really liked that one article and thats why I joined.
Biggest problem i've had so far is getting the software/information on what size (tons/btu) heat pump I need and how much water I will need or in a recirculating system what size how many lines I need. Any hints?

Daox · 09-10-10, 05:51 AM

Welcome to the site!

I know its long, but AC Hacker's thread on his heat pump probably contains all that info. That thing is literally jam packed with technical info on how to build your own heat pump system.

benpope · 09-10-10, 08:45 AM

Hi there,
If you are looking for software to model your house and get a pretty accurate idea of heating/cooling needs, take a look at HEED, a free piece of software from UCLA. It is a bit obtuse to get started with, but they have a good tutorial and it is really powerful. It lets you make a pretty darn accurate model of your house or business and lets you add different improvements to see what effect they will have on your energy use.

Xringer · 09-10-10, 08:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by uncomplicatedi

I don't have a manifesto like Skyl4rk. I'm just hoping to get some tips and tricks for installing a geothermal water source heat pump. I really liked that one article and thats why I joined.
Biggest problem i've had so far is getting the software/information on what size (tons/btu) heat pump I need and how much water I will need or in a recirculating system what size how many lines I need. Any hints?

You need to start off with the some basic data.

How many square feet of floor space do you live in? (and want to cool & heat).

What part of the world do you live in? (What's the weather like there)?

How good is your insulation and windows? If it's not so good, can you improve on it?

How good is the solar gain? (South facing windows)?

Once you have all this info before you, then you can start looking at possible solutions.

I started off already knowing that my old AC (18,000 BTUh) could cool off most of my house on a 90 dF day.
So, I figured a 24,000 BTUh Sanyo mini-split could handle the job easily. Even when it got really hot.
It can deliver 36,000 BTUh of heat too..

If you live in an area where it's not super cold in the winter (like Boston), then you might want to consider an ASHP..
If you live in northern Canada, forget about it!

Good Luck,
Rich

09-09-10, 08:24 PM	#1
uncomplicatedi Guest Posts: n/a	Hope to learn something I don't have a manifesto like Skyl4rk. I'm just hoping to get some tips and tricks for installing a geothermal water source heat pump. I really liked that one article and thats why I joined. Biggest problem i've had so far is getting the software/information on what size (tons/btu) heat pump I need and how much water I will need or in a recirculating system what size how many lines I need. Any hints?

09-10-10, 05:51 AM	#2
Daox Administrator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Germantown, WI Posts: 5,525 Thanks: 1,162 Thanked 374 Times in 305 Posts	Welcome to the site! I know its long, but AC Hacker's thread on his heat pump probably contains all that info. That thing is literally jam packed with technical info on how to build your own heat pump system. __________________ Current project - To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. & To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.

09-10-10, 08:45 AM	#3
benpope Helper EcoRenovator Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Little Rock, AR Posts: 95 Thanks: 16 Thanked 13 Times in 12 Posts	Hi there, If you are looking for software to model your house and get a pretty accurate idea of heating/cooling needs, take a look at HEED, a free piece of software from UCLA. It is a bit obtuse to get started with, but they have a good tutorial and it is really powerful. It lets you make a pretty darn accurate model of your house or business and lets you add different improvements to see what effect they will have on your energy use.