2 questions about ashp.

[TheMitchells]

I have two questions.

 

1.  Since having the ashp installed at my parents, and once it was up and running okay, we have noticed the ground beneath the unit is usually wet with drops coming from the unit.   should i be concerned and is this condensation, forming on the metal unit itself and dripping down? 

 

2.  The pressure guage was showing low yesterday, and for the last couple of weeks i noticed the top of the tall vertical radiator was cold.  yesterday i bleed the air out of the radiator and it soon warmed up again. I hoped that would fix the low pressure but it did not, so today i opened the two black valves seen on the photo and the pressure went up to 1.5 which i gather is what it should be. 

 

Is it the air in the sysytem causing the pressure to drop?  and is it normal for the pressure to drop occasionally?  Ok - 3 questions!

 

thanks in advance.

[JohnMo]

2-3. Bleeding air out the rads will lower the pressure slightly, so you needed add water which you have. When you first run the system micro air bubbles come out of suspension - which is all pretty normal.

 

The condenser gets cold this time of year and will often freeze up and defrost, so getting wet is normal. But if getting a pathway wet, then the flow/drips should have be diverted to a soak away by the installer.

[ReedRichards]

I would just add that it doesn't have to be freezing or near freezing to get condensation.  It just needs the amount of moisture in the air to be high enough for it to condense out on cold surfaces.  By its nature, the heat pump will have surfaces that are colder than the air.

[TheMitchells]

Udate - we called the installer out on Monday as we found there was a drip from one of the taps/joints at theback of the cupboard, as well as the pressure dropping. it must have been going on for a while as there was limescale on the insulation below.

Seems the join between the filter and pipework was dripping slightly so he replaced the seal and it has now stopped dripping.  Hoepfully the pressure will stay constant too.

 

in regard to the water under the heat pump outside, after examining it for quite a while (in the cold) he spotted that when it goes into defrost mode, there is a drop  of water coming from one point, along and around the unit, dropping down the front to where we can see it.  he reckons by lifting one side of the unit fractionally, that drop will go where it is supposed to go, into the drain.  So he will be coming back out with something appropriate on Wednesday (today) and fitting that.

 

 

[sharpener]

11 hours ago, TheMitchells said:

he reckons by lifting one side of the unit fractionally, that drop will go where it is supposed to go, into the drain.  So he will be coming back out with something appropriate on Wednesday (today) and fitting that.

 

Make sure he leaves the HP truly level front to back, as if not the fan bearings will wear prematurely. Side to side is more noticeable - but less important.