Heat pump attic installation

Basically coming out the unit is a short pvc with a T shaped attachment to it and the top is uncapped. The bottom part has a 90 degree angle attachment where a longer pvc pipe runs underneath the unit to the other side and then takes a left turn into the wall.

There is no P trap that I can see and not much that I can reach by hand to make any changes to the piping. I can even provide pics of the set up if that helps. Do I need to set up a P trap? Do I need to simply cap the opening on the T attachment? Drains can be finicky if not done right. Yes, the unit needs to be higher than the drain and the drain needs to slope.

It also needs a p-trap in line preferably close to the unit. P-trap is by code BTW. We had the system replaced, both units. The previous system had a gravity drain from pan and continuous drip to outside. We have also suffered from the overflow switch failing twice to prevent ceiling leaks. Each time called installer, Once told, the system was running too long and not able to discharge, therefore water went to overflow continuously, the float must have stuck.

I am overly apprehensive of ceiling leaks, just saying Shut system off for an hour, then decided to turn on again and let run till shut down. The system was set to 74 temps. So I called for service. Arrived approx 3 hrs after shut down. Poured water into the drain and it came out ok. We have never heard this before.

Each time we have a problem, they always send someone different, and we always have a different reason for the problem. This system has only NOT had a service call 1 time since we had it installed. Thanks, sorry for the length, but I wanted you to have an informed picture. Call someone who knows what they are doing. I had a two and a half ton unit put in my attic and it sounds like a diesel truck running all time.

My other unit was 6 years old and you could not hear it run. M y house is 7 years old and the coil went out in it. It looks like a closet unit for a small mobile home. The unit is not fastened down and bounces around. Wakes you up when it comes on. Something has to be done. As a homeowner, it can seem like professional HVAC contractors have it all figured out. Heat pump systems have gained tremendous popularity over the past ten years and Halifax is the perfect climate for heat pump systems.

We have relatively mild winters and our summers are progressively getting hotter and lasting longer. We receive many calls from customers that are looking to purchase a new heat pump system and like most have an upper floor that is cut into several bedrooms.

There are several HVAC contractors that are suggesting and quoting these customers on the installation of a unit that would be located in your attic and then ducted throughout the upper level to supply heating and cooling to all the rooms on the top level.

Although this may seem like a very practical and smart option we believe that this is in fact a very bad idea. A major issue with installing a heat pump system in your attic is that you cannot have the ducts properly cleaned and in most cases they can only be replaced if they become filthy or full of mold.

The reason for this is because the ducting that is being used for these installations is a flexible type that is made of light duty plastic or canvas material Like your dryer vent. These ducts cannot withstand the poking and vacuuming that is done when preforming a proper duct cleaning. During the summer when the outside temperature is over 30C the attic space in your home can get over 50C.

Additionally, when it is C outside it is also the same temperature in your attic. Heat pumps can only operate to a certain point before they are no longer capable of providing the heating that the home needs; if you locate the part of the system that distributes the hot air to your home in the attic, it will lose its effectiveness much faster than if the unit was properly located within the heated space of the home.

Imagine how efficient your heat pump system is when it is surrounded by these extremely hot and cold temperatures. Although the ducts are insulated many of the systems that we have seen have the lowest rated insulation surrounding the ducts R4. The duct insulation values from the heat pumps we have seen is not adequate enough to keep the system operating very efficiently.

For the most part attics are known as unconditioned space in your home. Ductwork naturally expands and contracts with the temperature changes, and in time that can loosen duct seals. We believe that all heat pumps should be efficient and provide a return on investment.

It has been our experience that most consumers are concerned with saving energy and reducing their heating costs when looking at converting or adding a heat pump system to their home so we always want to be sure we are fully transparent and upfront about the expected outcome of a system we recommend. Thread Tools Show Printable Version.

Heat Pump in Attic - Good idea or bad? I have a 2, sq ft, two story house in east Tennessee, where it gets pretty hot in the summer and can get cold in the winter, though the truly "cold" weather is fairly short-lived. Our house has roughly the same sq footage downstairs as it does up, maybe 1, upstairs and 1, downstairs. Our duct work for the first floor is in the crawlspace and for the second floor, the ducting is between floors with baseboard registers throughout. Currently we have a 3.

It's old 28 years old Amana packaged unit and loud, but it keeps the downstairs comfortable. The upstairs is not very comfortable and gets very little airflow so it's cold but bearable, just put on some long sleeves and socks in the winter and pretty hot in the summer. To feel air coming out of the registers upstairs, you have to put your hand within a foot of the register. I've had two estimates to add a unit in the attic to service the upstairs, one with Trane products and another with Lennox.

The Lennox quote was quite a bit less than the Trane quote. Both estimates said that if we just add a unit in the attic and leave the old 3.

Here are my questions: 1 What are the pros and cons of a heat pump, particularly for east Tennessee? Thanks for your input! IMO, furnaces don't belong in attic's. What till you have to go up there in the middle of the summer and change the filter. Yes you would be over sized just for the first floor. You will be pushing the same amount of air through half ducts. Not good.