The Homemade Heat Pump Manifesto

[Marc_NL]

Originally Posted by AC_Hacker

I'm not sure that I know what a 'thermal wax valve' is?

They are quite like what you describe except that a heater is used to make the wax expand and actuate the valve. Therefore every open valve draws some 5W (seems the most popular value).

Originally Posted by AC_Hacker

I don't think that brine is being used much in North America. I'd like to know more about your interest in it, and what its advantages are.

Well, overhere they just use the term brine for the closed loop ground source (either horizontal or vertical) circuit. I think water/glycol and water/ethanol is mostly used as coolant. So it doesn't reference the salty stuff.

Originally Posted by AC_Hacker

There are many lessons to learn from all of this. Not the least of which are:

• Pay great attention to the architectural aesthetics, and how they affect the occupants.
• Design the thermal aspects of the house (especially windows), giving the "mechanicals" a smaller role.
• Pay greater attention to the foundation and floor insulation.
• If a controller is required, try to find a commodity controller, should controllers fail, or owners change.

Thanks for the extensive info. I will have a look at the links later on. The story indeed touches a good few of the basics. Our home will have triple glazing. Double glazing just loses too much energy and with low temperature distributed heating there is a big chance of causing a draft. I think the best way to prevent issues is to also draw air out of the house above the large windows. This hopefully cancels any tendency of air to cool and fall along the window.

The plan for the moment is to use the best possible insulation of the foundation; put thick insulation directly onto the ground and pour the concrete foundation (including heating) on top of this. Hopefully this will work in the location we have found, depends on soil conditions.

Some form of control will be needed and used but the story you tell is another reminder to adhere to the KISS principle.

Cheers,

Marc