The surface area of the pool is where most of the heat is lost. There can also be losses from other factors due to pool design and construction. These we take into consideration when sizing a heat pump though some are hard to know; such as if there is a water table or the pool walls are insulated. Just remember that the heat pump selected is to maintain the temperature and this is based upon the heat losses from your pool.
Yes, if you want to reduce your running costs because the cover reduces your heat loss. If you wish to heat your pool without a cover a much larger heat pump is required to provide enough heat to combat the heat loss. Talk to us or your pool builder if you are unsure about sizing.
We expect our heat pumps to typically last around 15 years. Naturally, this all comes down to the conditions the heat pump is in, and regular maintenance. We have many heat pumps in the field that have exceeded this expectation and are 20 - 25 years old.
We consider extended season to be from mid October to mid April. Another way to look at this is from Labour Day till Easter (NZ Public Holidays). That’s 6-7 months of the year. Depending on weather patterns this season can vary but usually only marginally.
There are so many possible reasons. They are listed below in no particular order. With more than 36 different models of heat pump and the ability to custom build, we can satisfy about any customer requirements. Most other suppliers have limited choice so they either have to oversize, or use multiple units where we could have used just one.
We have the most experience in the country at sizing heat pumps as this is what we have been doing since 1980. We size for New Zealand conditions taking your climate and other factors into consideration. Heat Pumps are our main line of business where with other suppliers heat pumps are a very new concept for them.
There are unfortunately no standards for rating water heat pumps in New Zealand or Australia. We have rated our heat pumps at 18 degrees wet bulb air temperature and 28 degrees water temperature. If we wanted to make our units appear better we could have rated them in conditions found in other parts of the world (e.g. Florida) and rate them with 27 degrees air. But 27 degrees air is not very common in this country for a long period of time. This will boost our kW performance but will not necessarily show you what it will produce in this country.
We use top brand compressors and components. Mostly Copeland scroll compressors. Scroll compressors are the most efficient compressors on the market. Some other brand heat pumps use compressors that are up to half as efficient as ours. We suggest you look very carefully into the technology being used in the heat pump you want to purchase.
Yes. Air source heat pumps draw their heat from the air. In winter the efficiency is reduced as there is less heat in the ambient air. We take this into consideration with our sizing. Even in these colder conditions our heat pumps are still more efficient compared to most other forms of heating. Our heat pumps for hydronic floor heating have proven to be very effective operating in colder air temperatures and achieving hotter water temperatures.
Our heat pumps are rated to operate in air temperatures down to -10 degrees Celsius.
Yes, this is essential for low ambient operation. We use an advanced de-ice system to quickly melt the ice on the coils so normal operation can resume. This is a feature that is standard with all our units.
This is slightly answered in a previous question. But the most likely answer is that it is not rated the same way as our unit. Trying to keep the explanation simple (there are other factors). A heat pump draws air through an evaporator coil. If this coil is smaller than it should be there will be less heat extracted. Essentially a smaller coil or heat exchanger will impair a unit's performance, but will allow a smaller cheaper unit to be produced. It can then be rated for overseas conditions like those mentioned in a previous answers to make it appear to be the same or better kW rating, but giving a false indication of performance to expect. We produce all our heat pumps for maximum performance and do not "cut corners" in production. Our performance plus units are also low in sound levels and this is due to physical size which allows for a larger coil, with lower fan speed. The out door coil is rated to operate down to -10 degrees Celsius which means the use of a larger coil to gain the heat from the air at the highest efficiency.
Wet bulb air temperature is what you feel when your skin is wet in the air. It can sometimes feel very cold and other times not too much cooler. An example of this could be getting out of the ocean, the air can feel freezing till you are dry even if the air is over 20 degrees. This is because of low humidity. Wet bulb air temperature is what refrigeration technology operates on. The higher the humidity, the better the unit performance. For this reason a heat pump will often produce condensation.
This does not just apply to a heat pump but all forms of heating. The only thing you want to heat is your pool not the water and air around it. This does not apply to most pools as most pools are well made, but talk to your pool builder about the extra things you can do to help keep the heat in your pool before it is built.