With over 20 years experience I would proudly admit to being a heat pump boffin, its fair to say i know a thing or two about this type of equipment.
So what makes a good heat pump?
1) Warranty is important and can be a gauge on the quality of equipment. 10 year warranties on compressors and heat exchangers is the benchmark set by 'Norsup'. I only supply equipment that in the event of a problem I can repair for my customers for many years to come.
2) Spare parts, manufacturers are now choosing to badge imported products but fail to support products with spare parts, this often results in faulty equipment being removed from site and entering landfill. This may not be of immediate concern to the consumer but what happens when your warranty expires? Heat pumps are expensive and you would not want to replace due to a lack of spare parts.
The good news is that the 'right to repair' law will come in to force this summer, the thinking behind this law is to drive for improved quality and reliability of products reducing the amount of electrical waste entering landfill. Eventually the 'right to repair' will be recognised with in the swimming pool heat pump industry forcing all suppliers to provide after sales support for a minimum of 10 years.
3) Refrigerant, 'R32' is the new kid on the block. Its the latest refrigerant used on next gen swimming pool heat pumps.R32 refrigerant has 0 ozone depletion and a global warming potential of 675 tonnes CO2, when this is compared to its predecessors R410a & R407c the reduced environmental impact and reduced running costs makes R32 refrigerant the new benchmark for swimming pool heat pumps.
4) Titanium heat exchangers are the default for all swimming pool heat pumps and should last the life time of heat pump. A 7 year warranty on titanium heat exchnagers is the benchmark set by 'Hydro-Pro' although premium brands such as 'Norsup' offer 10 years.
5) Inverters, great for reducing starting loads from compressors and offer trickery for improved performance. The reality is when you switch your heat pump on you want your pool heated as fast as possible this effectively makes a lot of the inverter trickery redundant. The best thing about inverters is the softer starting of compressors with lower noise levels, all other benefits can be taken with a pinch of salt.
6) Wifi, a bit of a gimmick controlling your heat pump remotely but if you have rental properties or only occasionally use your swimming pool it could be a useful feature.
7) Defrost, its important to consider when your likely to switch on your heat pump and which seasons would you like to use your pool. Indoor pools can be heated all year round by 'all season' heat pumps that can typically operate down to -15 degrees. Summer season outdoor heat pumps are typically switched on as soon as the sunshine arrives, unfortunately it is often too cold overnight at the beginning of heating season to reach your target temperature. Choosing the correct sized heat pump with a defrosting ability to -5 degrees will give the best chance of achieving a usable temperature.
8) Noise, the larger the heat pump the louder the noise. Its not necessarily true that the larger the heat pump the louder they become, larger output swimming pool heaters ~26kW upwards benefit from having two fans dragging air across a larger surface area heat exchanger at a slower rate. If your looking to buy a large heat pump check it has two fans or be prepared for increased noise levels.
9) Vertical or Horizontal, generally there are two types of swimming pool heat pump configurations. Vertical units are generally selected when space is limited, its worth noting at this point installing a vertical heat pump in a confined space is not a good idea. All air source heat pumps require a constant source of fresh air to extract free energy and the waste air must not be recirculated. Horizontal units lend themselves to be installed in ventilated plantrooms/sheds.
10) Aesthetics, generally hidden out of site at the bottom of garden so does it matter? Well beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I like black heat pumps, easy to clean and look smart. Other colours tend to age quicker and look a bit naff (entitled to my opinion) hey Piers.
THE BEST SWIMMING POOL HEAT PUMPS ARE AVAILABLE FROM BOSTSA.
No1 Norsup
No2 Hydro-Pro
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