Heatpump HW with ducts

[yeldogt]

Just saw a Rheem heat pump water heater that included a duct fitting .. I was not able to get a great look ,,, and no one knew anything about it. But -- this was always one of my questions .. when would they come out with one.

I could see a benefit in warmer climates pulling in hot air from outside and keeping the cold inside -- beneficial home pressurization.

In a cold climate -- not so much .... unless you have a conventional boiler and you can pull excess heat from it .. this often occurs anyway.


Edit: Wonder if quieter w/ ducts -- the free I have been around were noisy .. similar to dehumidifier.

 

[Bretny]

I ran duct from mine to just behind my wood stove. It seams to help a bit. It was nothing special, just a floor register attached to one of the inlet sides of the WH. I have the old gray/black GE ones.

 

[Firebrick43]

Just saw a Rheem heat pump water heater that included a duct fitting .. I was not able to get a great look ,,, and no one knew anything about it. But -- this was always one of my questions .. when would they come out with one.

I could see a benefit in warmer climates pulling in hot air from outside and keeping the cold inside -- beneficial home pressurization.

In a cold climate -- not so much .... unless you have a conventional boiler and you can pull excess heat from it .. this often occurs anyway.


Edit: Wonder if quieter w/ ducts -- the free I have been around were noisy .. similar to dehumidifier.

In hot weather you want the air from inside. It help aircondition AND remove humidity saving on electricity from having to run a dehumidifier.

I would think ducting would be more for small rooms that need additional air.

My geospring is in the our laundry and it can get quite cold in there if the door is shut and the dryer not going. And it's of decent size. Without a duct into another room I couldn't imagine how a hpdhw closet installation would work.

 

[tyme2par4]

The duct kit is typically an accessory you can purchase separately. They are mainly needed if the water heater is installed in a closet or small room where there isn't enough volume. The small space would get cooled too much, and it wouldn't be able to heat the water.

 

[toyotadriver]

I have the Rheem HP water heater in a garage. It's not piped anywhere though. I like the fact that it dehumidifies the garage as well as using waste heat from the vehicles to heat the water.

 

[yeldogt]

In hot weather you want the air from inside. It help aircondition AND remove humidity saving on electricity from having to run a dehumidifier.

I would think ducting would be more for small rooms that need additional air.

My geospring is in the our laundry and it can get quite cold in there if the door is shut and the dryer not going. And it's of decent size. Without a duct into another room I couldn't imagine how a hpdhw closet installation would work.

It's a question of being able to use the extra heat that on the exterior --- if the exhaust is still going to be lower than the interior temp it could be used.

This one was designed for ducting -- it was not a simple accessory part covering the intake and exhaust grills.

 

[toyotadriver]

I could see piping hot air from the attic in the summer to the water heater. In the winter it probably wouldn't be hot enough up there to do much good.

In the summer, our garage gets to around 90-100 degrees when we park the cars inside. It's nice to use that wasted heat.

 

[u3b3rg33k]

I assume you're talking about this one:

studies show that even with heat pump primary heat, it's still cheaper to operate than a straight resistance heater.

 

[toyotadriver]

I assume you're talking about this one:

studies show that even with heat pump primary heat, it's still cheaper to operate than a straight resistance heater.

That's the one I have. I can't tell you exact cost to operate but I'd estimate it around $10-15 per month (set on 110*) in the summer and $15-25 in the winter.

I have my water heat set up with two water heaters. First one is the heat pump water heater. It preheats the water to 110*. The water then flows into a propane water heater where it is heated up to 125* or so. The reason for the two water heaters is trifold. First reason is to have plenty of hot water. The second reason is to have low costs for water heating (hence the use of the heat pump water heater) The third reason is the ability to have hot water even if the power is out (hence the use of a conventional propane water heater)

We live in the country and power outages are a fact of life. Since we've lived here, we've only had short power outages but one day we'll have a multi day outage. Having hot water during a power outage is great!

 

[Bretny]

So your running s generator for your well pump still correct? You have a standing pilot propane heater?

 

[Falcon67]

FWIW - most everyone I know that put in one of those heat pump units - and the climate here is ideal - has dumped them for regular units. Not very reliable and short warranty, big $$$$ to install and no tax benefit or subsidy from the state.

 

[Firebrick43]

FWIW - most everyone I know that put in one of those heat pump units - and the climate here is ideal - has dumped them for regular units. Not very reliable and short warranty, big $$$$ to install and no tax benefit or subsidy from the state.

What models? My GE geospring has been flawless for ten years now and those I know with them as well have had no issues either other than an occasional plugging of the condensate tube

 

[toyotadriver]

So your running s generator for your well pump still correct? You have a standing pilot propane heater?

Yes and yes

 

[toyotadriver]

What models? My GE geospring has been flawless for ten years now and those I know with them as well have had no issues either other than an occasional plugging of the condensate tube

I had a Geospring in my last house. About a year in it failed. Evaporator failed releasing the refrigerant. It was repaired under warranty at no cost to me. Worked fine after that.

I believe the Rheem is better made. It's been running for about two years now with no issues.

Also, on the Rheem the condensate tube is a 3/4 pipe vs the little tube on the Geospring.

The Geospring was discontinued a year or so ago.

 

[Bretny]

My GE uses a 1/2in piece of vinyl. Never clogged. Its gravety feed out.

 

[u3b3rg33k]

FWIW - most everyone I know that put in one of those heat pump units - and the climate here is ideal - has dumped them for regular units. Not very reliable and short warranty, big $$$$ to install and no tax benefit or subsidy from the state.

10 year warranty is short?
Installation should be no different than a standard electric.

 

[toyotadriver]

10 year warranty is short?
Installation should be no different than a standard electric.

One slight difference....you need a place to drain the condensate.

 

[u3b3rg33k]

true. i've always had my waterheaters near existing floor drains/condensate pumps.

 

[Bretny]

I believe i remember seeing my older GE had a stainless tank. Im sure that helps with corsion issues.

 

[Fixed]

How much do these units cost?

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[toyotadriver]

How much do these units cost?

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I paid a little less than $1200 as I recall. Had a local utility rebate of $50. I estimate a payback time of about 3 years. But remember, I have it in a warm garage so that enables it to work more efficiently. I base that payback estimate on a savings per month of around $30 on my electric bill.

 

[Bretny]

I got mine on sale at sears. $999 out the door, then $350 power company rebate and another $200-300 home energy credit. In the end it cost only a few hundred more than a normal electric.

 

[tyme2par4]

they range anywhere from $999 to about $1800 depending on size and model.
I got my 50 gallon AO smith for $999 and got a $500 rebate from my utility, so it was a no brainer. I switched from a direct fired coil on my oil burner that was burning about 100 gallons during the summer.