With a little help from friends What This!

Chip O'Brian · 11-21-2007, 03:40 PM

It appears to be a water heater assited Heat Pump. Era 1980's Heat pump is Trane. Weathertron XL100 1996 MFD

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**Rick Hurst** · 11-21-2007, 05:03 PM

Chip,

I found one of those for the first time a couple of months ago. I can't understand why they are not used more often. Seems like a great idea.

Chip O'Brian · 11-21-2007, 05:08 PM

Rick I think this is a small water heating unit. What' your thoughts?

**Rick Hurst** · 11-21-2007, 05:19 PM

Chip,

Below is a quote from Jerry Peck on the thread we discussed under Plumbing back in Sept.

Quote:

"Re: Water Heating Device
That's a Heat Recovery Unit ... best energy saver ever invent (other than the 'OFF' switch, that is).

Heat taken from inside via the refrigerant is taken from the refrigerant coil in there, transfered to a water coil in there, the heat in the water is then circulated to the water heater and heats the water in the water heater, the cooler water in the water heater then circulates back to the heat recovery unit coil, and, while that is happening, the refrigerant is taken to the condenser unit and through the condenser coil, with all that heat being wasted and blown into the outdoor air.

What was done is to capture 'free heat' for the water heater, heat which would have been dissipated to the outdoor air.

I had one on our house down in South Florida, the water heater seldom came on as the a/c kept the water hot.

It works with a heat pump during the winter also, except that instead of capturing 'waste heat' is it taking some of the heat being pumped into the house and heating the water with it. The occupants of the house would likely never notice the slight reduction in heat available to the house, and in return, they get 'free' hot water when the heat pump or a/c is operating.

I'm surprised you guys in Texas don't install them all over.
__________________
Jerry Peck
Ormond Beach, Florida"

Chip O'Brian · 11-21-2007, 05:31 PM

Well as usual I did not understand any of that Jerry sure can confuse me sometime.

**Billy Stephens** · 11-21-2007, 06:26 PM

Chip,

I have never seen one either.

What I got out of the last compete thread was as an example say a AC condenser defusing the heat to the air via a fan, the heat is used to heat water for use instead.

**Jerry Peck** · 11-21-2007, 07:25 PM

Chip,

The refrigerant (hot) heats the coil wrapped with it which has water in it and goes to/from the water heater.

A circulation pump circulates the heated water (heated by the hot refrigerant) through the water heater which then heats the water in the water heater.

What heat is not taken out of the refrigerant that way (not a lot is compared to what was in the refrigerant, but plenty for heating the water) is then removed in the condenser coil like it always it.

Think of it this way: You have hot refrigerant being circulated back to the condenser unit and you want to take some heat out and use it to cook pancakes with. You run the refrigerant line through a block of steel and then to the condenser unit. That block of steel gets hot, you place your skillet on it and cook your pancakes.

Heat in refrigerant heats the block of steel. Simple enough, right?

Now, simply replace the block of steel with a Heat Recovery Unit ... instead of heating a block of steel you are heating a block of copper water line ... that heated water is then circulated through the water heater and back (instead of cooking your pancakes).

**Rick Hurst** · 11-21-2007, 08:11 PM

The preceding post was supported by the folks at:

Chip O'Brian · 11-22-2007, 05:30 PM

Jerry 1st it is a type of water heater. Correct?
It is a back up for main water heater?
It supplys hot water to support the heat pump?
It replaces normal water heaters?
How it works I think I get "what is its purpose"?

Chip O'Brian · 11-22-2007, 06:26 PM

OK Just a little SLOW I got it now!

**Jerry Peck** · 11-22-2007, 09:15 PM

(Just to make sure you've got it now.)

Originally Posted by Chip O'Brian

Jerry 1st it is a type of water heater. Correct?

You could call it that. In South Florida (or any place which uses the a/c or heat pump most of the year) those devices will keep you in hot water (the nice kind) without actually heating the water in the tank by the tanks own fuel.

It is a back up for main water heater?

You could call it that too. If you are using the a/c or heat pump, those devices would back up the normal fuel heat, however, the typical way to think of those is that the normal fuel heat would back up those units.

It supplys hot water to support the heat pump?

No.

It replaces normal water heaters?

No.

Chip O'Brian · 11-23-2007, 03:20 PM

Thank you Rick & Jerry.

Bruce Lunsford · 11-23-2007, 04:01 PM

Think of it as an alternate engergy source for your water heater. Instead of using the internal electric coils, it uses the liquid line from the AC compressor. I have one and during summer, I just unplug my water heater all togother. The air conditioner is able to supply all of my hot water needs using waste heat from my home.