The 5 most common mistakes when installing heat pumps – how to avoid them to enjoy economical heating?
Lower bills, longer device life, and daily thermal comfort – these are the benefits of properly installing a heat pump. However, even the best device will fail if installed incorrectly. Learn about the most common mistakes and how to avoid them to ensure your investment truly pays off.
A heat pump is a long-term investment – it's designed to provide comfort, eco-friendly heating, and low bills. Unfortunately, mistakes during installation can reduce its efficiency and, in extreme cases, lead to costly breakdowns. Being aware of common mistakes allows homeowners to better prepare for the investment and monitor the work of installers.
- Improperly Sized Heat Pump Capacity
The most common mistake is selecting a unit with the wrong capacity. Too high a capacity causes the compressor to frequently turn on and off, which increases energy consumption and shortens the unit's lifespan. Conversely, too low a capacity cannot maintain the appropriate temperature in the home on frosty days, forcing residents to use additional heating. That's why professional heat demand calculations are so important, allowing you to tailor the unit's capacity to the building's needs and optimize heating bills.
- Lack of a Heat Buffer or Poorly Sized Tank
Many investors and installers try to reduce investment costs by omitting a heat buffer. However, this is a crucial element that stabilizes the operation of the entire system and protects the pump from excessive load. A buffer tank reduces frequent compressor activations and provides energy for proper defrosting of the heat pump's heat exchanger. A domestic hot water tank with adequate capacity and coil efficiency helps avoid problems with its availability. A system without these components is less efficient, less comfortable, and more prone to failure. The Heat Pump Selection Software will help you select the correct tank and buffer tank.
- Incorrect Heating Curve Setting
Weather compensation is a huge help, but only when properly configured. A curve that is too steep leads to overheating and higher bills, while a curve that is too flat leads to underheating. Ideally, settings should be individually tailored to the building's characteristics and the type of heating system. In practice, this means monitoring thermal comfort during the first season and gradually adjusting the parameters until a stable temperature in the home is achieved with optimal energy consumption.
- Overly High Operating Parameters
A common mistake is setting the supply temperature too high. Heat pumps operate in the opposite way to traditional boilers – the lower the heating water temperature, the better the device's efficiency. Operating at high temperatures not only increases bills but also strains the compressor and shortens the lifespan of the entire system. Therefore, it's worth designing the system around low-temperature heating, such as underfloor heating or oversized radiators, which maintain thermal comfort while maintaining a lower heating water temperature.
- Choose a Trusted Installer
Even the best device won't perform its intended purpose if installed incorrectly. That's why choosing an installer with the right experience and qualifications is so important. Termet partners with authorized installers, providing them with training and technical support. A list of these trusted experts can be found in the "Find an Installer" tab. Working with a certified installer ensures that your heat pump will be properly selected, installed, and commissioned in accordance with the manufacturer's guidelines. This guarantees that the entire system will operate efficiently and trouble-free for years to come.
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