Mini split

[FlyingScot]

Originally Posted by Biggd

The rebate incentives in NH aren't as generous as Ma and Maine. Ma gives $1250 per ton, NH only gives $250 per ton. They do give a generous rebate for a hybrid water heater though.
I'd like to install one in my lake house but for now a window AC will have to do.

I have been wondering about water heaters for a while--do you have a recommendation?

[Biggd]

Originally Posted by FlyingScot

I have been wondering about water heaters for a while--do you have a recommendation?

I didn't install one yet, but they claim to save quite a bit of money.
I have a crawl space in my NH house, only 40" high. I have yet to find a hybrid water heater that short.
Most of them actually look taller than a regular water heater because the heat pump unit sits on the top of the tank.

[jeffk]

Here's something to think about with hot water heat pumps. They pull heat out of the surrounding air. That means that if they are in your basement, which is already cool in the winter, it will be even colder. Colder basement means colder floors on the first floor. This is a comfort factor (cold feet), plus, you may have to turn your heat up to feel warm enough, which counters savings from the hot water heat pump. The only solution would be to insulate the ceiling of the basement and if you don't care how cold your basement is. I use my basement for several purposes so I actually heat it a bit to keep it at 60 degrees in the winter, which also keeps the first floor floors noticeably warmer and more comfortable.

If the hot water heater is on the first floor, it will draw heat from the air you are trying to heat in the winter. No cold floors but your house heating system will have to replace the heat.

To me, the hot water heat pumps sound more like a warm climate solution.

[thinkxingu]

Originally Posted by jeffk

Here's something to think about with hot water heat pumps. They pull heat out of the surrounding air. That means that if they are in your basement, which is already cool in the winter, it will be even colder. Colder basement means colder floors on the first floor. This is a comfort factor (cold feet), plus, you may have to turn your heat up to feel warm enough, which counters savings from the hot water heat pump. The only solution would be to insulate the ceiling of the basement and if you don't care how cold your basement is. I use my basement for several purposes so I actually heat it a bit to keep it at 60 degrees in the winter, which also keeps the first floor floors noticeably warmer and more comfortable.

If the hot water heater is on the first floor, it will draw heat from the air you are trying to heat in the winter. No cold floors but your house heating system will have to replace the heat.

To me, the hot water heat pumps sound more like a warm climate solution.

This was one reason I chose a traditional water heater. The other five were space, initial cost, questionable reliability, install complexity, and the need for a condensate hose/pump.

Sent from my SM-S911U using Tapatalk

[Biggd]

Originally Posted by jeffk

Here's something to think about with hot water heat pumps. They pull heat out of the surrounding air. That means that if they are in your basement, which is already cool in the winter, it will be even colder. Colder basement means colder floors on the first floor. This is a comfort factor (cold feet), plus, you may have to turn your heat up to feel warm enough, which counters savings from the hot water heat pump. The only solution would be to insulate the ceiling of the basement and if you don't care how cold your basement is. I use my basement for several purposes so I actually heat it a bit to keep it at 60 degrees in the winter, which also keeps the first floor floors noticeably warmer and more comfortable.

If the hot water heater is on the first floor, it will draw heat from the air you are trying to heat in the winter. No cold floors but your house heating system will have to replace the heat.

To me, the hot water heat pumps sound more like a warm climate solution.

I my situation it would work perfectly because I have my boiler in my crawl space which has a cement floor and foam insulated walls. It stays very warm in my crawl space all winter long so pulling heat from it would be a big savings along with shutting the boiler down completely in the summer.
But, as I said, I have yet to find a heat pump water heater short enough to fit in my crawl space.
I have a tankless in my boiler which works fine but I would prefer to shut my boiler down in the summer which would keep the crawl space cooler and help to keep the home cooler.
My other option is to install a shorty indirect water tank, but that would still require my boiler to run all summer.

[John Mercier]

Same situation.
But if I were to go that route, I would put the hybrid heat pump water heater in my conditioned space... allowing it to remove heat from my living area in the summer (basically an AC unit) and turn the boiler off for the summer.
I would turn the boiler on in the winter using it for heat and hot water, as the combination is more efficient - standby losses being less with the combination.

[Biggd]

I'm hoping someone eventually makes a shorty Hybrid hot water heater, don't really have a spot in the house for one.

[8gv]

Don't give up yet...

You could cut away the kitchen floor and have a standard unit protrude through the hole.

Then you could frame up a center island around it.

Use this for inspiration:

[John Mercier]

Originally Posted by Biggd

I'm hoping someone eventually makes a shorty Hybrid hot water heater, don't really have a spot in the house for one.

Google shows that they make them as a two part product with the tank separate from the compressor. The compressor feeds the heat through a line like the mini-split into a special tank with a coil inside that transfers the heat to the tank. Sounds about the same as the standard one with the compressor on top except for a longer line set and not so tall.

[Biggd]

Originally Posted by John Mercier

Google shows that they make them as a two part product with the tank separate from the compressor. The compressor feeds the heat through a line like the mini-split into a special tank with a coil inside that transfers the heat to the tank. Sounds about the same as the standard one with the compressor on top except for a longer line set and not so tall.

Way too expensive, even with the $750 rebate. I would be better off just installing an indirect water heater.

[John Mercier]

Can't argue that.
I was looking at doing an indirect and attaching a solar option for the summer.

https://www.builditsolar.com/Experim...SolarDHWV2.htm

Even if it had to be a stand alone unit... I think I would do OK.

[Biggd]

Originally Posted by John Mercier

Can't argue that.
I was looking at doing an indirect and attaching a solar option for the summer.

https://www.builditsolar.com/Experim...SolarDHWV2.htm

Even if it had to be a stand alone unit... I think I would do OK.

I have an indirect in my home in Ma and I have the low temp level on the boiler turned off so if we aren't home the boiler won't turn on at all unless the hot water tank cools down. I use very little oil during the summer.
My home in NH has a tankless so the low temp is set at 160, always burning oil to maintain that temp so we can get hot water, very wasteful.