Ross Cox Plumbing

Ground source heat pumps & how they work?

A ground source heat pump circulates a mixture of water and antifreeze around a loop of pipe - called a ground loop - which is buried in the garden. When the liquid travels around the loop it absorbs heat from the ground - used to heat radiators, underfloor heating systems and even hot water.

The length of the ground loop depends on the size of your home and the amount of heat you need - longer loops can draw more heat from the ground.

Normally the loop is laid flat, or coiled in trenches about two metres deep, but if there is not enough space in your garden you can install a vertical loop to a depth of up to 100 metres.

The efficiency of a ground source heat pump is measured by a coefficient of performance (CoP) - the amount of heat it produces compared to the amount of electricity needed to run it. A typical CoP for a ground source heat pump is around 3.2 without any reductions for the type of distribution system.

Air and water source heat pumps

These systems use similar principles to ground source heat pumps to extract heat from air or water instead of the ground.

Air source heat pumps can be fitted outside a house or in the roof space and generally perform better at slightly warmer air temperatures. Water source heat pumps can be used to provide heating in homes near to rivers, streams and lakes.

Solar panels & How they work ?

The panels on your roof collect energy from the sun and convert it into heat. A pump transfers this heat through some solar pipework to your hot water tank. This raises the temperature of your water (meaning you don't need to use your boiler as much) and you can then use this free hot water for your taps and appliances.

Solar water heating systems require a special kind of hot water cylinder. These have an additional 'solar coil' in the bottom half and when the fluid circulates round this coil this transfers the heat to the water.

Unless you already have a cylinder with a solar coil then we will have to replace your existing tank with a solar ready cylinder. These come in different shapes and sizes, to fit the space available, but ideally are tall and thin.

Unlike conventional heating, which can heat water instantly at the press of a button, solar energy often will come through in bursts throughout the day. So that you can use this heat when you need it, solar water heating systems always require a hot water cylinder to store the heat.

To make sure that you always have hot water we also always recommend a secondary heating source. This means in most cases that you keep your existing boiler and connect it to the solar cylinder. The cylinders have two coils, one at the bottom for the solar and another in the middle for your boiler. Alternatively it is quite possible to connect-up the cylinder to back boilers on wood burning circuits or indeed to other heating sources. All cylinders also include a 3kW immersion heater as standard (in the top), powered by mains electricity, as an additional, optional form of heating.

We can integrate a solar system into most types of water heating systems: solar works well with both the conventional setup (a vented cylinder and a header tank in the loft) and also with mains pressure systems. Solar can be made to work with a combi-boiler, but this is slightly more complicated and more costly

Sensors in the panel and in the water cylinder continuously monitor their temperatures. An electronic controller displays these temperatures, so you can always see what is happening and how much heat the system is providing. It also tells you the temperature at the top of the tank - which is the temperature the water will come out of the taps.

Repairs
If you have a problem which needs immediate attention: for example your system has stopped working, you have a leak or loss of pressure or your controls are malfuntioning.

We can offer you:

-Fault finding and repair;
-General system health check and service;
-DIY & "cowboy" rescue;
-Performance improvements;
-Expert opinion and survey report.