DIY Heat Pump (AKA: Homemade Heat Pump Manifesto)

AC_Hacker · 08-31-09, 02:49 PM

I'm adding a link here under 'Geothermal' to a geothermal project I am doing, that is currently posted under 'Projects & Improvements':

http://ecorenovator.org/forum/projec....html#post2631

Comments are encouraged...

Best Regards,

-AC_Hacker

Coach 1xi · 06-20-10, 08:46 AM

Hi saw with interest your heat pump but have no clue how to make one could you give me more details pleez

AC_Hacker · 06-21-10, 01:13 AM

Hello Coach 1xi;7124

Quote:

Originally Posted by Coach 1xi

Hi saw with interest your heat pump but have no clue how to make one could you give me more details pleez

Ok, The part of the lengthy blog (twenty-six pages) that deals with understanding how to make a heat pump begins at this link.

Why don't you read the whole twenty six pages, and familiarize yourself with the concepts you'll need to understand, the tools you'll need to acquire and the procedures you'll need to gain skill in and just what's going on in general.

Then, if you have specific questions please feel free and ask, and I'll be here to answer every question, and provide every assistance... I will be your own personal coach, Coach.

How's that for a deal?

Best Regards,

-AC_Hacker

Big Al · 07-30-10, 08:18 AM

Am amazed (here in UK ) at how useless most of info on subject is . The impression I get is that a bunch of "consultants" and Quangos see energy saving as the latest get-rich-quick craze , but have little real knowledge or experience , with a few honourable exceptions . Your posts like a breath of fresh air .Have always admired the American approach to DIY -want a drilling rig-build one . New Zealand attitude similar.
Project number 1761 for me ,if I live long enuff ,is to install a ground loop heat pump system with a few differences . I am vaguely considering installing on my shed roof a few black painted old radiators and pump summer heat into the ground in the vicinity of the ground loop (aligning shed sloping roof to point South ). Hopefully this would give a winter source of higher grade heat and lead to greater efficiency. Might even pamper any plants grown in the ground above . I also free heat my garage workshop in winter with a heat exchanger mounted in the boiler exhaust plume (mounted outside house so as to not obstruct flue ) and might consider switching the output of this also underground (in summer ) giving in total two summer input ground loops and one winter output loop. Project 1762 would be to install a VAWT to charge batteries to pump the summer heat underground. hopefully as this does n't require a lot of power a smallish VAWT averaging say 200W o/p might manage this . Altho I'm in Scotland getting more than 200W average from the wind gets expensive even for DIY .
So far this is only an idea but I (I ?? By I ,I mean a man with a minidigger ) have to level a terrace in the garden which will give me 80 feet of trench about 4 feet deep . It would be stupid I think if when this is done I did not install a slinky and a couple of loops of PVC coated copper as potential heat input loops. My approach is to take whatever heat this trench gives me rather than calculate need for the whole house-so if I need more "tonnage " I won't have it, but what I have got should be a considerable cost saver.
There the exposed ends of the loops can wait in my underfloor space until projects up to number 1761 are completed.
Meanwhile I have a few calculations to do and find getting info. on thermal capacity , thermal conductivity etc of various soils a pain in the rear end, hence my opening comments.
Best of luck with completing your project when you are back to 100% , have a pot to piss in etc.
Big Al

AC_Hacker · 08-01-10, 01:59 PM

Big Al, welcome to Ecorenovator.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big Al

Your posts like a breath of fresh air .Have always admired the American approach to DIY -want a drilling rig-build one . New Zealand attitude similar.

Thanks, I take that as the highest complement.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big Al

I am vaguely considering installing on my shed roof a few black painted old radiators and pump summer heat into the ground in the vicinity of the ground loop (aligning shed sloping roof to point South ).

I don't know the situation on your side of the pond, but over here there are many old flat-plate solar collectors that people want to get rid of. Sometimes free, sometimes maybe $100. A real bargain. I think these would be much better than radiators, especially if you can get them for nearly free.

Regarding the 'vicinity of the ground loop' approach, you should use the actual ground loop. Think of it as your own private energy bank... put energy in when you don't need it, take it out when you do need it.

High density polyethylene is good to 180 degrees F.

If you have any photos of what you are doing, please share them with us, we'd love to see what you have going on.

Best Regards,

-AC_Hacker

flyingsod · 08-18-10, 01:31 PM

Thanks AC Hacker. I think you've done most of my research for me

Kudos to you for being able to find things that I was not able to find in a couple days worth of searching. This thread will be invaluable to me as I build my project.

I mainly need some dehumidifying so I will most likely not be using a compressor. I feel that simply circulating the water/coolant underground for a time will remove enough heat to allow condensation to occur where I want it to. One of my worries was making an efficient condenser unit. After reading your thread here and seeing your use and suggestion to use old AC or Dehumidifier parts My problem was solved as I have an old one out back in the junkyard. Hooraw! I love Goodwill and other thrift stores also, reassigning old items/parts is a noble endeavor.

AC_Hacker · 08-19-10, 12:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by flyingsod

Thanks AC Hacker. I think you've done most of my research for me

Kudos to you for being able to find things that I was not able to find in a couple days worth of searching. This thread will be invaluable to me as I build my project.

Hi flyingsod,

Thanks for the Kudos... But the real compliment for me is you actually making use of anything resulting from my investigations and efforts.

The world has grown accustomed to cheap energy and many of the old ways have been forgotten, and new ways must be found. If the new way is to use a heat exchanger from "out back in the junkyard" for a purpose other than the original purpose, there are many 'wins' involved there... the least of which is that no new energy is used to create the used heat exchanger (AKA: condenser unit).

Quote:

Originally Posted by flyingsod

I mainly need some dehumidifying so I will most likely not be using a compressor. I feel that simply circulating the water/coolant underground for a time will remove enough heat to allow condensation to occur where I want it to. One of my worries was making an efficient condenser unit. After reading your thread here and seeing your use and suggestion to use old AC or Dehumidifier parts My problem was solved as I have an old one out back in the junkyard. Hooraw! I love Goodwill and other thrift stores also, reassigning old items/parts is a noble endeavor.

You didn't say too much about your heat exchanger, but I saw a page from a guy in Montana, I think it was, and he used a multi-row unit to give him a lot of surface area. He also was pumping water through a buried ground loop, and he had to put a drain pan under the unit to catch all the water that was dripping off.

Good luck with your project. Don't forget to post photos here...

It might inspire others to raid their local junk yards too!

Regards,

-AC_Hacker

Big Al · 09-24-10, 07:56 PM

Progress( !! )altho another project has crept in (1762 !! ). in that have just completed a tree house platform about 18 feet high for my grandkids. On this platform I have installed a 20 feet lookout tower protruding above the local tree canopy . They love it , but more to the point , on climbing to the top (testing of course) I notice that I have nothing between me and the Gargunnock hills about 5 miles away and almost due SW , which in this quite windy country , is where the fast air comes from. Have bought a Power Predictor which logs wind speed and direction (and solar energy arriving- a cruel joke in Scotland ) and will also decapitate grandchildren on the lookout if I'm not careful. I'm hoping for average wind speeds of 5.5 m/s but am braced for disappointment. This should be installed this week but will take about 3 months logging to see if the Vawt is worth building. I'm old enuff to have learned " Don't build the watermill until you 've checked you've got a river "
The ground levelling and slinky installation will probably have to wait until next spring (Permafrost-only joking ) which gives me plenty of time to find out lots more about Vawts and heat pumps.

I thought at first the photo you posted was the folly on Carlton hill in Edinburgh (strong wind resistant construction ) but on relooking I noticed sun shadows so it can't be. Have now purchased a digital camera , and once I've learned how to post photos (only counts as 1/4 project-1762 and 1/4 ! ) will post a photo of the Vawt mount and lookout tower as a bit of light relief from your excavations and heat pump work.

Rgds Big Al

08-31-09, 02:49 PM	#1
AC_Hacker Supreme EcoRenovator Join Date: Mar 2009 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 4,004 Thanks: 303 Thanked 724 Times in 534 Posts	DIY Heat Pump (AKA: Homemade Heat Pump Manifesto) I'm adding a link here under 'Geothermal' to a geothermal project I am doing, that is currently posted under 'Projects & Improvements': http://ecorenovator.org/forum/projec....html#post2631 Comments are encouraged... Best Regards, -AC_Hacker

07-30-10, 08:18 AM	#4
Big Al Big Al Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Scotland Posts: 31 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	DiY Heat pumps Am amazed (here in UK ) at how useless most of info on subject is . The impression I get is that a bunch of "consultants" and Quangos see energy saving as the latest get-rich-quick craze , but have little real knowledge or experience , with a few honourable exceptions . Your posts like a breath of fresh air .Have always admired the American approach to DIY -want a drilling rig-build one . New Zealand attitude similar. Project number 1761 for me ,if I live long enuff ,is to install a ground loop heat pump system with a few differences . I am vaguely considering installing on my shed roof a few black painted old radiators and pump summer heat into the ground in the vicinity of the ground loop (aligning shed sloping roof to point South ). Hopefully this would give a winter source of higher grade heat and lead to greater efficiency. Might even pamper any plants grown in the ground above . I also free heat my garage workshop in winter with a heat exchanger mounted in the boiler exhaust plume (mounted outside house so as to not obstruct flue ) and might consider switching the output of this also underground (in summer ) giving in total two summer input ground loops and one winter output loop. Project 1762 would be to install a VAWT to charge batteries to pump the summer heat underground. hopefully as this does n't require a lot of power a smallish VAWT averaging say 200W o/p might manage this . Altho I'm in Scotland getting more than 200W average from the wind gets expensive even for DIY . So far this is only an idea but I (I ?? By I ,I mean a man with a minidigger ) have to level a terrace in the garden which will give me 80 feet of trench about 4 feet deep . It would be stupid I think if when this is done I did not install a slinky and a couple of loops of PVC coated copper as potential heat input loops. My approach is to take whatever heat this trench gives me rather than calculate need for the whole house-so if I need more "tonnage " I won't have it, but what I have got should be a considerable cost saver. There the exposed ends of the loops can wait in my underfloor space until projects up to number 1761 are completed. Meanwhile I have a few calculations to do and find getting info. on thermal capacity , thermal conductivity etc of various soils a pain in the rear end, hence my opening comments. Best of luck with completing your project when you are back to 100% , have a pot to piss in etc. Big Al

06-20-10, 08:46 AM	#2
Coach 1xi Lurking Renovator Join Date: Jun 2010 Posts: 1 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Hi saw with interest your heat pump but have no clue how to make one could you give me more details pleez

08-18-10, 01:31 PM	#6
flyingsod Lurking Renovator Join Date: Aug 2010 Posts: 2 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Thanks AC Hacker. I think you've done most of my research for me Kudos to you for being able to find things that I was not able to find in a couple days worth of searching. This thread will be invaluable to me as I build my project. I mainly need some dehumidifying so I will most likely not be using a compressor. I feel that simply circulating the water/coolant underground for a time will remove enough heat to allow condensation to occur where I want it to. One of my worries was making an efficient condenser unit. After reading your thread here and seeing your use and suggestion to use old AC or Dehumidifier parts My problem was solved as I have an old one out back in the junkyard. Hooraw! I love Goodwill and other thrift stores also, reassigning old items/parts is a noble endeavor.

09-24-10, 07:56 PM	#8
Big Al Big Al Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Scotland Posts: 31 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Progress( !! )altho another project has crept in (1762 !! ). in that have just completed a tree house platform about 18 feet high for my grandkids. On this platform I have installed a 20 feet lookout tower protruding above the local tree canopy . They love it , but more to the point , on climbing to the top (testing of course) I notice that I have nothing between me and the Gargunnock hills about 5 miles away and almost due SW , which in this quite windy country , is where the fast air comes from. Have bought a Power Predictor which logs wind speed and direction (and solar energy arriving- a cruel joke in Scotland ) and will also decapitate grandchildren on the lookout if I'm not careful. I'm hoping for average wind speeds of 5.5 m/s but am braced for disappointment. This should be installed this week but will take about 3 months logging to see if the Vawt is worth building. I'm old enuff to have learned " Don't build the watermill until you 've checked you've got a river " The ground levelling and slinky installation will probably have to wait until next spring (Permafrost-only joking ) which gives me plenty of time to find out lots more about Vawts and heat pumps. I thought at first the photo you posted was the folly on Carlton hill in Edinburgh (strong wind resistant construction ) but on relooking I noticed sun shadows so it can't be. Have now purchased a digital camera , and once I've learned how to post photos (only counts as 1/4 project-1762 and 1/4 ! ) will post a photo of the Vawt mount and lookout tower as a bit of light relief from your excavations and heat pump work. Rgds Big Al