I am looking for info on heat pumps?

[davehummell]

Hi I figured some of you guys have heat pumps on your house and I am thinking about a set up for my little house as a helper for my oil burner hot air system. The house is so old I have plank walls and no cellar. I have a moble home unit and have to burn kero in it I just payed 3.16 a gallon so I am thinking a heat pump would be a good idea. I have no room for a wood burner and I don't want to run a bunch or base board heaters that would be costly to power them. When I was alittle kid we had a kitchen range wood and coal gram would cook on and in the living room we had a parlor stove if you got up early enough an fixed the fires it was a good steady heat the hot air system is hot and then cold and I find it cold longer then hot so she turns the heat way up and then it get to hot and then I turn it down and then she turns it back up. I am figuring maybe the heat pump would give off some heat all the time for cheaper than the oil burner? Thanks if you can tell me your thought's

[Hobert62]

My in-laws have a heat pump as there only heat source and so do my neighbors. I don’t think they are a bad option and not overly costly to operate.   I put a geo thermal unit in mine when I built and it’s very similar except has a under ground heat exchanger.   Both systems have a heat swing but not as bad as a forced hot air because they are more like a forced warm air instead, with a lower temp of the air being pushed into the room. 

My parents house had just electric base board and with the newer oil filled models not that bad of an option. The heating element is in an oil filled tube so when it shuts off it retains some heat a little longer.  They added a gas fireplace a few years ago and their house is much warmer in the winters now compared to when I grew up.  Their gas fireplace is a sealed vented unit that’s built into a wall and works very good as an addition heat source.  May be an option for ya. Theirs is propane.  I’m considering building one in my house for the additional heat & just the affect of having a fireplace.  

My grandparents had a ductless heat pump installed and love it.   It looks like a normal heat pump outside but inside there is just a wall unit mounted on one wall close to the ceiling.  I think it also works as ac in the summer.   They have oil hot water as their primary furnace but wanted to get away from being stuck with high oil prices the other year. 

Edited April 1, 2019 by Hobert62

[tjc transport]

i put in ductless ac/heat 4 years ago. cut electric bill in half from 98 per month to 52 per month. but i do not use the heat pump that much since i have gas baseboard heat. 

the only downside to the ductless id initial cost. my 30,000 BTU system was $6000 so ti will have paid for itself in electric savings in another 5 years.

heat is a warm air instead of hot air. 

fan blows all the time, but you do not notice it.  on heat it will raise temp of a 20X20 room from 65 degrees to 75 degrees in about 10 minutes. 

[terry]

I have heard good and bad both on them, my daughter had one, but if it got to cold the gas furnace would have to kick on to heat the house. they finally took the heat pump completely out and just ran the gas furnace, might depend on how cold your winters are.    terry

[eddeere]

I have  a heat pump in my house in Ohio . I like it works good above 30 degrees then has a back up to propane . I think geo thermal is the way to . I did not put geo thermal in  when I built the  house five years ago  as I did not know how long I was going to stay in Ohio . All the new construction around here seems to be heat pumps . My first house in Ohio had a heat pump that lasted 42 years .

[1958 F.W.D.]

As a building inspector, I can offer some advice which is to be sure you obtain several quotes to install the system, and be absolutely sure that the vendors all perform ACCA Manual J Heat Load Calculations- which will take into consideration the size of the living space being heated, the existing system, and the weather of the environment. Compare the heat load calcs and the manufacturer's cut sheet of the proposed unit to make sure it is adequately sized.

Oh, and get the permit too if required! 

[fjh]

56 minutes ago, eddeere said:

I have  a heat pump in my house in Ohio . I like it works good above 30 degrees then has a back up to propane . I think geo thermal is the way to . I did not put geo thermal in  when I built the  house five years ago  as I did not know how long I was going to stay in Ohio . All the new construction around here seems to be heat pumps . My first house in Ohio had a heat pump that lasted 42 years .

geo thermal is the  way to go how ever real pricey !A standard air to air unit will work well long as your outside temp is just above freezing or better for most of the year you will benefit by having it also ac in the summer is nice if your current furnace set up  As long duct work is set up correctly the A coil add on is usually not a hard thing to ad in! Relatively cheap !How ever you need to have a properly sized electrical pane! A 100 amp panel is pushing it for size!!  a heat pump requires  Min  2- 220 slots   usually! just some stuff to think on!

Edited April 1, 2019 by fjh

[tjc transport]

13 minutes ago, 1958 F.W.D. said:

As a building inspector, I can offer some advice which is to be sure you obtain several quotes to install the system, and be absolutely sure that the vendors all perform ACCA Manual J Heat Load Calculations- which will take into consideration the size of the living space being heated, the existing system, and the weather of the environment. Compare the heat load calcs and the manufacturer's cut sheet of the proposed unit to make sure it is adequately sized.

Oh, and get the permit too if required! 

^^^this.^^^

most do not work properly because they are not big enough for the intended space. 

[OldRedMack]

1 hour ago, eddeere said:

I have  a heat pump in my house in Ohio . I like it works good above 30 degrees then has a back up to propane . I think geo thermal is the way to . I did not put geo thermal in  when I built the  house five years ago  as I did not know how long I was going to stay in Ohio . All the new construction around here seems to be heat pumps . My first house in Ohio had a heat pump that lasted 42 years .

We just had a whole new system put in, but we are in georgia.  All the hvac guys I talked to before the install said down to 30 degrees electric was good, but below that go with the duel fuel like eddeere.  Where the lp/natural gas kicks in to help.  We had 2 units installed 1.5 ton for upstairs and 4 ton for downstairs, both 14 seer units.  The units and all new duct work came to $11,500.

[Mack Technician]

Not practical up here, even with available grants and enough groundwater to do a well exchange. I calc’ed it on my 1,700 house when we built in 2010 and the payback was past my life expectancy. Not to mention I’d still have to subsidize the system for two months. 

Wood boiler is nice with the “fix my Mack for firewood” barder program. 

[Hobert62]

2 minutes ago, Mack Technician said:

Not practical up here, even with available grants and enough groundwater to do a well exchange. I calc’ed it on my 1,700 house when we built in 2010 and the payback was past my life expectancy. Not to mention I’d still have to subsidize the system for two months. 

Wood boiler is nice with the “fix my Mack for firewood” barder program. 

I assume you mean the geo. When I stuck mine in they said I’m about as far north as is practical to strictly use it alone.  Around here people prefer a closed loop system that circulates an anti freeze through the ground loops instead of circulating the ground water through the heat system.  Same thing except easier on the geo unit because water being circulated through is going to bee clean 

[davehummell]

Thanks everyone for your input. The system I would want to go with is a ductless unite where the compressor is mounted out side and you have a wall mounted unite with the pressure and return lines through the wall. I can't afford the inground heat transfer setup. I have two friends that are heating and air conditioning tradesman I had the one guy get all the figures to tell me what one that was correct and he can get me the newest fujitsu for contractor cost I am chicken about spending money on something I know very little about.

[Hobert62]

That’s the brand my grandparents have and they are very happy with it

[Hobert62]

While replying this ad came up on the bottom of my screen

[tjc transport]

Dave, i put a Daikin 30,000 BTU pump outside, 2 9,000 BTU wall units downstairs(one front of the house and one rear) and a 12,000 BTU wall unit upstairs to replace the window unit ac units that were 15k downstairs and 10k upstairs. first month saw power consumption cut in half, and it has staid that way for the past 5 years.. because of allergies, i pretty much need to run the ac year round. 

this was the best investment i ever made. and recommend installing ductless to everyone that asks. i use the heat sparingly because i have baseboard hot water heat.

i oversized the unit just like i did with the boiler, it makes it much more efficient. 

Edited April 1, 2019 by tjc transport

[Mack Technician]

2 hours ago, Hobert62 said:

While replying this ad came up on the bottom of my screen

Ever get the feeling you being watched.....

[davehummell]

Spooky!

[VaPatentman]

I am not a huge Heat Pump fan however, because I grew up with gas. I live in a neighborhood without natural gas. I heat my detached garage with a geo-thermal (closed-loop) unit and the house with an 18-seer air-to-air 2-speed condenser unit a variable speed AHU. These are not your father’s heat pumps (Oldsmobile commercial) they actually discharge warm area! I installed both units myself and may have performed research, calculations and installation quality others may not have performed. In my opinion one key to efficiency is upgraded insulation and a smart thermostat (pricey $450).  We are in central Virginia with R-60 blown fiberglass in the attic.  My energy bills are lower than several friends that heat similar houses with natural-gas. (me=all electric vs them=gas + elec)

Hold the installers feet to the fire when installing and conform and verify all bullet points in accordance with the manufactures installation requirements. In closing, if you have the room and the time a geo-thermal horizontal slinky coil loop is the way to go if you plan to stay there for a while to reap the rewards of payback. I agree with others the sweet spot is above freezing, do research knowledge is wealth--GOOD LUCK 

 

[JoeH]

I put in radiant floor heat in my cottage. 2nd winter, it's amazing. But my cottage sits on a concrete slab. I had to jackhammer it out, dig down enough so I could put 2" foam board from Lowe's and 4 inches of concrete, then tile.

18'x25' cottage. My system is an "open" radiant floor system using a propane tankless water heater and a circulator for the 4 loops in the floor. "Open" means floor water is tied with the domestic water. Took 5 months for me to install it and renovate the first floor, but it's great.