Heat pump – how to control it safely?
A heat pump is an efficient and ecological heating device. Its great advantage is that it uses thermal energy obtained from renewable sources (air, ground, ground water In addition, the heat pump emits no greenhouse gases, operates maintenance-free and consumes little energy. So it is hardly surprising that more and more people decide to heat their homes with heat pumps. There is still the issue of controlling the heat produced by it. It is believed that zone control increases its failure rate. But is this true? How to safely control a heat pump to achieve the right temperature in the rooms?
The device pumps heat from a lower source to an upper source, collecting electricity in the process. The bottom source is where the working medium is taken from; water, ground, or air, and this is what determines the type of pump. In air pumps, the lower source will be the air, in water pumps – groundwater, in groundwater pumps the energy is taken directly from the ground. The upper source is nothing but the heating system of the house.
– an exchanger that extracts heat from the environment (for example, an air source heat pump sucks in the air)
– a compressor that circulates the heat internally increases the temperature and pressure of the fluid taken from the lower source – this fluid is condensed and transferred to the…
– exchanger and expansion valve, which transfers heat to the upper source (i.e. to the home system) and closes the circuit.
In summary, a heat pump works on the principle of thermodynamic conversion. It forces the heat from the ground, water, or air into heated rooms or even into a DHW system. Such pumps can successfully power radiators, underfloor heating and fan coil units.
In a simple way, zone control involves installing thermostats in each room, which allows you to adjust the temperature in your home according to your needs.
Meanwhile, a heat pump, due to its mechanism of operation, has a rather long start-up time. Therefore, it needs time to heat up the medium (e.g. air) taken from the environment.
In a simple way, zone control involves installing thermostats in each room, which allows you to adjust the temperature in your home according to your needs.
Meanwhile, a heat pump, due to its mechanism of operation, has a rather long start-up time. Therefore, it needs time to heat up the medium (e.g. air) taken from the environment.
This has obvious disadvantages when we want to apply zone control which is comfortable for the household members. For example, if you want to heat a small room (e.g. bathroom) using the underfloor heating system, you have to switch the heat pump on and off in a short period of time. And this, of course, can cause it to fail. That’s why we don’t control the heat pump directly, but the water distribution from the buffer, which stores the heat it produces. This allows you to enjoy all the benefits of zone-based home control.
Zone control of each type of heating avoids overheating conditions and reduces energy losses. As a result, you use as much heat as you actually need – neither more nor less. This saves money and protects the environment.
Remember!
Zone control is necessary. However, to be efficient and safe for the heat pump, the heating system should be equipped with a proper buffer tank – the heat stored in it is distributed to heating loops. Controllers and thermostats dose the heat according to the settings of the household. This makes it possible to automate the distribution of the heating medium and maintain the selected temperature in the house. The control takes place at the level of the buffer, not the heat pump. In this case, temperature management becomes as convenient and efficient as with gas or electric heating.
A distributor of SALUS Controls brand:
QL CONTROLS Sp. z o.o., Sp. k.
4 Rolna, 43-262 Kobielice
Poland
NIP: 638 180 68 25,
KRS: 0000440955,
office: +48 32 700 74 53,
service: +48 32 750 65 05,
fax: +48 32 790 44 85,
Monday - Friday, 8:00-16:00
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