orangezero
New Member
- Joined
- Sep 20, 2020
- Messages
- 88
I have around 2.5kw of solar (off the grid) and I'm switching to a very cheap overnight grid rate ($0.02 or so most of the time at night) so using electricity for heat. After searching and looking at the overall market, I just discovered these small 110v heat pumps for smaller swimming pools.
There are many, but something like this:
It uses water and air to move heat rather than just air. The fan puts out cool air and causes dehumidification to some degree. This would go well in my basement, but should it be there? Is there a valid safety reason for why I couldn't use one of these small heat pumps in my basement? I could certainly see a water leak being a potential problem, but that is manageable. If the refrigerant leaked it would be pretty far away from humans, which was the one issue I saw discussed as I was reading through some listings.
I've long wanted floor heating. I was considering adding pex tubing in the ceiling of my basement, which would be covered by a radiant barrier and then insulation. The heat from the pex tubing would move up through the wood underlayment to the wood floor and eventually heat the air in my ground floor. In the winter I could have warmer floors upstairs which would help lower my furnace usage, and some dehumidification downstairs. In the summer I could reroute the water to run adjacent to the water pipes entering my hot water heater to help preheat the water (but not mix together). The cool dehumidified air could be diverted upstairs via some strategically placed vents I already have access to.
My situation last winter saw most of my solar production go to a 1500w resistance heater to help warm my house. It was interesting how much work this did to keep me warm but is only around 5100 btu. I've seen these pool heat pumps with a COP of 4 up to 5.5 and btu of 12,000 to 16000. If I have my math estimates correct this heat pump could put out around 3-5 times as much heat as the resistance heater I've been using. These heat pumps are around $650-800, run on 110v and wouldn't stress my current inverter. All good points, I think.
I've really not heard any reviews about these smaller units other than people trying to heat a 20,000 gallon pool and waiting a loooong time.
The thermostat seems limited to around 100F, but radiant flooring is typically limited to 80-85F anyway due to comfort, and I wouldn't want to increase my floor much more than what it naturally is in the summer anyway for a variety of reasons. I have a relatively wet basement so the humidity levels would be closer to ideal working conditions for this heat pump. The temperature is a little on the lower end of ideal, but still workable. There should be easy ways to collect/dispose of the condensation generated without too much issue, I have floor drains already.
It also appears these heat pumps are designed to be run rather continuously, which means I could probably get away with using them 5-8hrs when I have sun or extra battery at night.
Any comments from any pool owners on these things? Or if nonpool owners have them I'd love some comments. I can imagine most find them underwhelming to heat a large pool, but I'm mostly curious if those COP and BTU numbers on ebay and amazon listings are even close to being accurate for these types of 110v AC heat pumps. Any idea on longevity with these things?
I'm not necessarily trying to beat a $20,000 installed whole house heat pump, but it does appear I can do a lot better than the resistance heater for not a lot of money and get some dehumidification.cooling benefits as well.
Thanks
There are many, but something like this:
It uses water and air to move heat rather than just air. The fan puts out cool air and causes dehumidification to some degree. This would go well in my basement, but should it be there? Is there a valid safety reason for why I couldn't use one of these small heat pumps in my basement? I could certainly see a water leak being a potential problem, but that is manageable. If the refrigerant leaked it would be pretty far away from humans, which was the one issue I saw discussed as I was reading through some listings.
I've long wanted floor heating. I was considering adding pex tubing in the ceiling of my basement, which would be covered by a radiant barrier and then insulation. The heat from the pex tubing would move up through the wood underlayment to the wood floor and eventually heat the air in my ground floor. In the winter I could have warmer floors upstairs which would help lower my furnace usage, and some dehumidification downstairs. In the summer I could reroute the water to run adjacent to the water pipes entering my hot water heater to help preheat the water (but not mix together). The cool dehumidified air could be diverted upstairs via some strategically placed vents I already have access to.
My situation last winter saw most of my solar production go to a 1500w resistance heater to help warm my house. It was interesting how much work this did to keep me warm but is only around 5100 btu. I've seen these pool heat pumps with a COP of 4 up to 5.5 and btu of 12,000 to 16000. If I have my math estimates correct this heat pump could put out around 3-5 times as much heat as the resistance heater I've been using. These heat pumps are around $650-800, run on 110v and wouldn't stress my current inverter. All good points, I think.
I've really not heard any reviews about these smaller units other than people trying to heat a 20,000 gallon pool and waiting a loooong time.
The thermostat seems limited to around 100F, but radiant flooring is typically limited to 80-85F anyway due to comfort, and I wouldn't want to increase my floor much more than what it naturally is in the summer anyway for a variety of reasons. I have a relatively wet basement so the humidity levels would be closer to ideal working conditions for this heat pump. The temperature is a little on the lower end of ideal, but still workable. There should be easy ways to collect/dispose of the condensation generated without too much issue, I have floor drains already.
It also appears these heat pumps are designed to be run rather continuously, which means I could probably get away with using them 5-8hrs when I have sun or extra battery at night.
Any comments from any pool owners on these things? Or if nonpool owners have them I'd love some comments. I can imagine most find them underwhelming to heat a large pool, but I'm mostly curious if those COP and BTU numbers on ebay and amazon listings are even close to being accurate for these types of 110v AC heat pumps. Any idea on longevity with these things?
I'm not necessarily trying to beat a $20,000 installed whole house heat pump, but it does appear I can do a lot better than the resistance heater for not a lot of money and get some dehumidification.cooling benefits as well.
Thanks
