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Rank 2
June 26, 2021
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How can I effectively cover my Air-Source Heat Pump without compromising efficiency?

  • June 26, 2021
  • 27 replies
  • 24250 views

Hi there. I have built a cover for my ASHP and wonder how many others have done the same. I am considering a redesign after some feedback from engineers who seen this on Facebook. Like making the spacing gaps bigger and possibly removing the hidden side panel. 

 

 

Best answer by juliamc

Although it looks great, I think you are compromising the efficiency of the pump with your cover. I assume the air intake is on the side and back (it is on mine which is a different model) so by partially covering the outlet you are trapping some cold air which will then be drawn in again, so getting ever colder and colder, thus have less energy in it. It will be like running it in winter.

 

Maybe if you cut a circular hole in the front, so all the cold air is expelled,  and keep the left side and back open, you’d be okay? Perhaps @hydrosam or @Transparent could advise?

 

 

I think @juliamc is correct in everything she writes here. She’s rapidly becoming the group’s expert on the right way to install Heat pumps. :hugging:

 

As for the wooden cover…. very attractive styling! :slight_smile:

 

But the distance between the rear of the Heat pump and the wall is calculated to allow sufficient air-flow to be drawn through the heat-exchanger. The cover has significantly restricted this.

 

The slats on this cover also impede the out-flow. Thus the line of least resistance is for the rear input port to simply suck the air from the front and push it through the heat-exchanger again. It is effectively a partial ‘short-circuit’ of airflow being recycled within the cabinet.

 


I'm afraid my opinion on the cover is it’s going to hamper the performance of the pump quite significantly. You’ll need to make the gaps much wider and you need to get decent air flow through the system.

You can buy heat pump covers to disguise them a bit but they are a bit like the camouflaged covers you get for wheelie bins and not as nice as the cover you’ve made. 

 

 

 

Hi all I have modified the wooden cover. Please note the rear has no slates. Only 3 sides. The top is also decking boards which have the grooves under. But also 5mm gaps on the top. Again to allow air flow. Thoughts? 

 

 

I just did a quick google and it looks like you aren’t far away from some designs. 
https://www.pumph.co.uk/product/wooden-guards/

 

From my research the key is to not have the cold air being expelled to be able to recirculate back through the heat pump, one the of the issues with the first location of my pump was it being in low point of the garden and the cold air couldn’t escape (it was also boxed in by walls and fences). If the area where the fan is blowing the cold air allows it to escape from the pump then the design should work. 

 

Have you also kept the side to the left of the pump free? 


Personally if I was going to box it in I’d make the slats further apart but I’ve got no idea what an optimum design is. The design on the link I shared above doesn’t specify what gap they’ve used but you might be able to find details on another website. 

 

 

We are adapting the side tomorrow to make a larger opening. On the left closes to the fence. We going to adjust to help suit this.

 

 

 

27 replies

Newcomer
March 26, 2022

I just stumbled on this thread and wondered how the cover turned out in the end? I’m looking to do a similar cloaking effort on our Mitsubishi low temp ASHP

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Jess_OVO
OVO Staff
OVO Staff
March 28, 2022

Great question, @hambrook!

 

I believe @48havelock is the only ASHP member to have tried out a cover so far, any updates on the effect this had on your heat pump’s efficiency, @48havelock? Did you make any further adjustments to the design if so?

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Rank 2
March 28, 2022

Hi all, ot was a project I started and redesign a number of times, the. Winter caught up, so it's been half completed. But which what had been covered no I have not notice any performance issues. As long as you make sure you have plenty of breathing space and your not blocking the fan at the front. This was the last photo before we took it apart and change the design to increase more air flow around the unit. Now the weather is getting warmer we will aim to have this completed soon. 

 

2018 3 Bed Semi Detached, Daikin 7KW Monobloc HP, 1.6KW East 3KW west/sout west roof solar, 15KW battery, Always looking for improvements.
Jess_OVO
OVO Staff
OVO Staff
March 29, 2022

Ah still a work in progress then, @48havelock ? (Bring on those sunny DIY weekends!)

 

Was this something like what you had in mind, @hambrook?

 

Looks pretty tidy to me, so wondering if this might have inspired others to plan something similar. @nealmurphy@juliamc@sylm_2000 - Have you got used to the outside unit appearance now, or would you consider a cover or disguise of some type if the efficiency isn’t an issue?

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sylm_2000
Rank 2
Rank 2
March 29, 2022

I am so tempted by the design by @48havelock as I do woodworking as a hobby however no way as stick as the design above. Well done!

However I am tempted to leave the ASHP as is allowing it to breathe and work as the design intended. Also in our case it is on the side of the garden out of view making it less of an issue. Did I say I have a few more exciting wood working projects in the pipeline before I take on the heat pump? :)

 

 

To net-zero and beyond!
juliamc
Rank 20
Rank 20
March 29, 2022

My unit is also out of view at the side of my house so I don’t need to hide it. 

nealmurphy
Newcomer
Newcomer
March 29, 2022

I quite like the design of my unit, so not planning to box it in.

I’m also working on a couple of other woodworking projects - sheds down the side of the house and a rabbit hutch, so have plenty of other things to keep me busy!