F-gas charged sunamp

[HughF]

I had a genius idea the other day, what the industry needs is an f-gas charged sunamp that can be connected to a multi head mini split system. Even better if it was installed as part of a heat recovery vrf system.

 

I’m going to annoy them at the installer show and tell them they should make one, stop messing about with all this hot water rubbish.

 

🤣

[dpmiller]

yes! make it even harder to install!

[DanDee]

I would rather invest in a ultra high definition camera/screen and record a zoomed video of the sun in a bright clear day, and have on display in each room. It's good for vitamin D as well.

[JamesPa]

1 hour ago, HughF said:

I had a genius idea the other day, what the industry needs is an f-gas charged sunamp that can be connected to a multi head mini split system. Even better if it was installed as part of a heat recovery vrf system.

 

I’m going to annoy them at the installer show and tell them they should make one, stop messing about with all this hot water rubbish.

 

🤣

That's not a bad idea given all the talk on here about the virtues of A2A.  I'd rather try to find an f gas engineer than an MCS bod to be honest, the commercial HVAC industry has plenty of the former and they aren't high on government grants.

 

Repackage it to the same form factor as a combi and you have a drop in replacement as far as the dhw is concerned with no need for G3 which can be installed by any commercial Aircon installer, of which there are plenty.  I'd be tempted at the right price.

Edited May 9, 2023 by JamesPa

[dpmiller]

30 minutes ago, JamesPa said:

 

Repackage it to the same form factor as a combi

umm, do you realise just how heavy a Sunamp is?

[JamesPa]

12 minutes ago, dpmiller said:

umm, do you realise just how heavy a Sunamp is?

I hadn't, but having looked it up no more than a largish ASHP which are frequently wall mounted (or for that matter a small is Vaillant one, which seem to be particularly heavy).    Better to put it on the floor I grant though. 

 

Its still an interesting concept.  

Edited May 9, 2023 by JamesPa

[HughF]

5 hours ago, dpmiller said:

yes! make it even harder to install!

The more I think about routing the 28mm coppers in and around my place to get the ASHP installed, along with the space taken in the cylinder cupboard, the easier I think it would be to just have a 3/8 and 1/4 F-gas pipe to route to a small box in the cylinder cupboard. Pressure test, vac down, gas up... Simple.

Edited May 9, 2023 by HughF

[Nickfromwales]

5 hours ago, HughF said:

I had a genius idea the other day, what the industry needs is an f-gas charged sunamp that can be connected to a multi head mini split system. Even better if it was installed as part of a heat recovery vrf system.

 

I’m going to annoy them at the installer show and tell them they should make one, stop messing about with all this hot water rubbish.

 

🤣

I suggested it to them 4 1/2 years ago when I was their premier ( & only ) installer, outside of the company.

I suggested a lot of other things.

They didn't really listen back then.

Lots went "pop" since. Hopefully that's stopped. Most recent one to go pop was Jan this year. Buy an UVC  

[HughF]

27 minutes ago, Nickfromwales said:

I suggested it to them 4 1/2 years ago when I was their premier ( & only ) installer, outside of the company.

I suggested a lot of other things.

They didn't really listen back then.

Lots went "pop" since. Hopefully that's stopped. Most recent one to go pop was Jan this year. Buy an UVC  

Interesting... glad I wasn't the only one to think of this idea.

 

I've got a UVC, it was much cheaper and less complicated.

[JamesPa]

37 minutes ago, HughF said:

The more I think about routing the 28mm coppers in and around my place to get the ASHP installed, along with the space taken in the cylinder cupboard, the easier I think it would be to just have a 3/8 and 1/4 F-gas pipe to route to a small box in the cylinder cupboard. Pressure test, vac down, gas up... Simple.

Are you sure you need 28mm copper as much as you are being told? 

 

Installers appear (from what people say here and my own experience) to like to recommend 28mm copper when its not actually necessary mostly, I suspect, so that they can whack in the heat pump suppliers pre-plumbed cylinder using a rookie plumber.  Obviously it depends on your layout, demand, and current primaries

[HughF]

1 minute ago, JamesPa said:

Are you sure you need 28mm copper as much as you are being told? 

 

Installers appear (from what people say here and my own experience) to like to recommend 28mm copper when its not actually necessary mostly, I suspect, so that they can whack in the heat pump suppliers pre-plumbed cylinder using a rookie plumber.  Obviously it depends on your layout, demand, and current primaries

Pretty sure I do, yeah. HP is miles away in the garden on 32mm mlcp. Might as well size it for maximum flow rate.

[SteamyTea]

12 minutes ago, HughF said:

Might as well size it for maximum flow rate.

There is a lot to be said for doing that.

Electrical Engineers seem to design to the minimum they can get away with, that is why it is usually difficult to put wires in easily, then screw up the terminals tightly.

[sharpener]

44 minutes ago, SteamyTea said:

There is a lot to be said for doing that.

Electrical Engineers seem to design to the minimum they can get away with, that is why it is usually difficult to put wires in easily, then screw up the terminals tightly.

 

Yes, I bought a 4-way DIN enclosure to house a meter and an SPD, the terminal space is so cramped I had to use 4 x 4mm^2 links rather than 16mm^2 like the meter tails.