Heat Pump Hot water

[patty]

I have not got my first bill since we installed the Quantum unit so it will be interesting!!

Well today I got my first electricity bill after we had the hot water service installed and was absolutley shocked but in a great way
we have nearly halfed our electrcity bill seriously our last bill was $310.00 bucks the new bill $180.00 unbelievable<!-- / message -->

[bob w]

Hi smurf
I have only just read your thread so dont know if you have settled on a system yet. I see you are in Hobart, in which case I would suggest you research the suitability of the heat pump systems in your climate. I was involved in retailing HWS about 18months back and we were told that the heat pumps would not be sold to us as our climate was too cold and they couldn't guarantee their effectivness. (We are in the central west NSW with min temps of -5 to -10 deg C) This may have changed since then but it wouldn't hurt to check.
Cheers
Bob

[patty]

Well I would be surprised if the unit we have did not work to those levels ours is rated at -20 deg and as said before does not require a booster element like some of the others in the market!

[bob w]

Well I would be surprised if the unit we have did not work to those levels ours is rated at -20 deg and as said before does not require a booster element like some of the others in the market!

As I stated this was 18 months back so they have obviously rectified that shortfall. But at the time no manufacture would supply these units. Glad to hear you are happy with yours. It gives us options for when we are in need of a replacement unit.
Cheers
Bob

[elkangorito]

Back in 2003/4, I was a Facilities Manager for a few properties in Sydney. One of these properties was an upper class set of apartments in Balmain. These apartments had the earlier versions of the Quantum heat pumps. I will list my observations of the units at that time;

1] After 1 year, affected substantially by corrosion (close to salt water). They needed electrical & mechanical repairs to keep them functioning. Their IP rating was listed as 4x...not weatherproof. I hope that the newer Quantum units are at least weatherproof (IP55+).

2] In winter, the units could not supply enough hot water. This may have been a design fault (project engineering...nothing to do with Quantum) or it could have been as a result of cold weather. My boss, a refrigeration engineer with over 35 years of experience, told me that these units would only be effective & efficient at temperatures above zero degrees Celsius. Further, he said that R22 will be phased out, which means that the unit will not be able to develop a temperature as high as R22 could (condenser temp & pressure) than if R134a is used. This would result in an overall lower condenser temp for the same outside ambient temp & therefore a lower water temp. From what I have learnt, these units work very well in warmer climates & perform poorly in cold climates. Also, the "maintenance" factor needs to be considered.

[dan76]

hi it may be too late but i recently did a bit of warranty work on a rheem heat pump, and noticed on the label that under temps of 5 degrees it relied on the booster element to warm up.
might not suit a cold climate very well.

[mwalsh]

Hi smurf
I have only just read your thread so dont know if you have settled on a system yet. I see you are in Hobart, in which case I would suggest you research the suitability of the heat pump systems in your climate. I was involved in retailing HWS about 18months back and we were told that the heat pumps would not be sold to us as our climate was too cold and they couldn't guarantee their effectivness. (We are in the central west NSW with min temps of -5 to -10 deg C) This may have changed since then but it wouldn't hurt to check.
Cheers
Bob

You might try the Quantum unit, as it works down to -10oC

Cheers

Mark

[Smurf]

Thanks everyone.

I haven't needed to do anything about this yet, just wanted to be armed with the info for when the time comes.

I presently have an electric off-peak system that's still working. But I know that it's not in good condition. The anode was completely gone and lots of rust came out of the tank too. Filthy looking mud and water that looked like tea.

But I've replaced the anode and so far so good. It's in a location where if it blows up then it won't do any real damage. Just make a bit of a mess under the house and the water should get out under the roller door in the worst case.

So I'll leave it while it's working. Could be another 5 years if I'm lucky. Could blow in 5 minutes if I'm unlucky.

We had someone at work today quote on air-conditioning and they also do solar and heat pump HWS. He gave me a rough estimate of $2700 for an evacuated tube solar system and $2000 for a quantum heat pump. Both of those are after the various rebates etc. He also suggested that I wait if possible as apparently my local council is looking at some sort of incentive too - he suggested could be $500 or even $1000.

The latter would make a heat pump system not much more expensive to buy than an electric tank so very attractive.

[ScottM]

Just my 2c worth too...

I've got gas hot water nr Hobart, and yes, $100/bottle, which sounds expensive.

On the positive side each bottle lasts me 5 months for 1 person and also includes gas hotplates and gas BBQ running off this. Am sure it's about half the running price of electric for my particular usage....

Cheers