Need help with finding good heat pump system

Started by rockchuk, August 25, 2006, 08:45:00 PM

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rockchuk

Hi Guys, it's been awhile and I hope thou art well (you can tell I just returned from watching a Shakepere play ....I try to do so about every 3 years to keep wife 'cultured' :))

Say....I need to put a heat pump system in my house as I've been heating with wood alone for 6 years now, and my back is such that I really can;t trust it like I used to to get wood so regularly....also, whenever I sell this place I'm going to need some kind of heating system.  I know absolutely zippo about heat pumps at this point (except how they work), but I do know that they are supposed to be the the ticket in my area here.  I'm going to delve into this on the net, but I wanted to turn to the forum here first and hopefully not have to reinvent the wheel all over again.  So any help you can offer is greatly appreciated!

These are my considerations:

***- I live on the southern Oregon coast so the climate is mild

***- My house is only 1,300 sq feet, one story, with enough crawlspace under the wooden floor for ducting

***- I am handy enough that I want to do as much of this as possible myself because money is tight right now (who am I kidding, it's always tight) - I'm decent enough at electrical too.

Are there any dealers or brands in particular that you would recommend?  I have no problem buying via the internet as long as the dealer is excellent.

What potential problems should I know about?  Heck, anything you may be able to throw my way, or any experiences or advice is greatly appreciated.  Please HELP guys....in turn, I'll keep you informed of the ups and downs of my project as it progresses (any tricks and tips I learn).  I have to get this thing in before the rains come (mid Oct).  Can you steer me the right direction please??

THANK YOU!!!

rockchuk

glenn-k

#1
Rockchuk, thou returnest with empty hands and a questioning mind.  Ought we takest thou back into the fold and givest thou answers to thine hearts content and the utter delight of thine wife? :-/  (Where did that come from --- Shakespeare or the Bible?)

Why the heck not? :)  Great to hear from you again, Rockchuk -- almost changed your name to Rockchick but this is PG-- got to watch my fingers so they don't type something obscene.


I got on the heat pump kick -- had to have one -- I got a large room one and it freezes up in about an hour and is useless much of the time for an air conditioner -- as a heater - when it's cold outside it doesn't do much either.  We did better in the bedroom with a normal air conditioner with heating coils for occasional use.

QuoteWe did better in the bedroom
I didn't mean "We" -- I meant the heating/cooling unit -- well come to think of it.....

A "real" dedicated one for the whole house may work better.


rockchuk

LOL - I think that was either St Paul or the Proverbs.  Good to 'see' you in a cyber sense, Glenn...and well, thank you for that info.....I think..........I actually was hoping you'd tell me everything I ever wanted to hear in the matter plus send me a winning lottery ticket to boot, but hey, I appreciate you sowing seeds of doubt in my mind now.....sheesh!   ;)

Dang....maybe this taint gonna be as cut and dried as I hoped?  I do know that the majority of folks around here do have the heat pumps installed....now I need to find out WHY.  

Maybe someone will have additional info (but thou can can still sendest me thy lottery ticket if thou so desirest...)   :D

Seriously, thank you for some grist to consider......

desdawg

I have a heat pump at my on-grid mountain house. When the temp drops to about 30 degrees it stops pumping much in the way of heat. Fan keeps blowing but it isn't doing any effective heating. Then I build a fire and plug in the little electric space heaters and shut her down. Works great for air conditioning and works well above 30 degrees.

n74tg

Have you looked into geothermal heat pumps yet?  They are more expensive, but they work great, and they work regardless of outdoor temp (hot or cold) because the ground temp is so conducive to easy heat transfer.    


ShawnaJ

Our old house had a Carrier system, worked great for air conditioning in the extremely hot humid South Carolina, not so good for heat seemed I had to bump it up quite often whenever it did get cold--which isn't often. My dad also had a Carrier in his old house in Central Oregon, and he had to supplement with the woodstove when it got really cold.

I think they do more to regulate the humidity level inside the house than anything. Which if you live in a wet area, like the Oregon coast, that isn't a bad thing.

We have a Trane now, some sort of water cooled system....don't like it, with the high humidity stuff grows in the drain pipes, clogs it up, and I have to either suck it out with the shopvac or call someone to do it......but it's military housing so I'm stuck with it. :-/

Depending on your county codes you may have to have any system installed, especially the electrical aspect of it, the duct work you can probably do yourself.....but the installer would probably check it out to make sure it is done correctly....

Amanda_931

#6
I don't remember what I had in Nashville.  It had a resistance heat unit built into it, so that when the temperature went down the owner (me, for most of its life) didn't have to scramble, just brace herself for a bigger electric bill.

AC was wonderful, I thought.  But then it was the first central AC unit I'd ever had.

When it finally died, I couldn't find anyone to replace the indoor part--in the attic reached via ladder through a tiny access door.

Heat pumps are--or were--difficult to find a programmable thermostat for.

Here's a site for the first part of this topic:

http://www.pangloss.com/seidel/Shaker/

I've no idea what you'll get but this evening my insult was from Henry the IV, Part 2

[size=20]Thou wouldst eat thy dead vomit up,
And howl'st to find it. [/size]


glenn-k

Crimoney, Amanda.  I think you outdid me on that one.  I just had a nice big juicy steak.  At least I don't have a weak stomach. :)

Amanda_931

that one was a bit rawer than usual.  But it was a real Shakespearean insult.  Some are not.

(the one I just got--in your name, of course--is also real, Henry VI part 2.  Shouldn't it by thy instead of thine?

[size=22][Thine] breath stinks with eating toasted cheese. [/size]

(the site also has some kind of fun, if low-band-width suitable, fractals to play with.--and a Panglossian comment of the day)