Depending on where your home is located, as a homeowner, you have a lot of options to choose from as far as heating is concerned. Different places experience different climates, and thus, this makes them suited for different heat pumps. Therefore, there are several factors among which your budget and the location of your house to consider when choosing a heat pump for your home. However, there are some folks out there who may not have heard about heat pumps just yet. Maybe the climate of where you have been staying did not necessitate for you to have one, but now you are moving up north where it gets really cold, sit tight, do not worry about this is the ultimate guide to choosing the right heat pump and installing it.
However, before this, what is a heat pump? Well, you can easily say it is a modern furnace or boiler; rather, a heat pump does not heat fuel to create heat like the formerly mentioned predecessors. Instead, heat pumps transmit heat from one point to another, and since they do not generate the heat, they use little to no energy. Some of the common brands of heat pumps in the market include; Trane, Carrier, Tempstar, Daikin, American Standard, and many more. There are two types of heat pumps; the air-source heat pump and geothermal heat pump. As the names suggest, the former absorbs warmth from the warmer air outside and transmits it into your house while the latter source their heat from the ground.
This brings you to the heat pump installation. Assumingly you were replacing an old, outdated air-source heat pump, well first you need to remove the old indoor unit, then detach the timeworn outdoor unit by cutting the suction and high-pressure lines. Install your new outdoor unit; this unit ought to be raised about four feet from the ground. Finished with the outdoor, move to the indoor unit, start by laying the pan, it will sit on or fit the chains it will hand from, whatever that works for you. Before beginning the connection between the two units, ensure to flush the coolant lines, then starting from outside once again, connect the thermostat wiring. After the thermostat, connect the power cable to the connector, and then you can fix the high-pressure line, the filter dryer, along with the suction line.
Done with the outside unit connections, move indoors, and start by gauging the indoor unit size to be able to approximate the ductwork accurately. With the measurements at hand, shape the ductwork and fit it, then now install the indoor unit. Remember to follow the manufacturer recommendations and configurations, for instance, when installing the indoor coils. Some face sideways and others upright. It all depends on the manufacturer. Just like you did to the outside unit, fit the suction and the high-pressure lines. Test the coolant lines using a vacuum pump, preferably from outside, and once you ascertain they are working optimally, fit the drain and the emergency shut-off. Finally, connect the power, and you are good to go.
Heat pump installation is no easy thing, and however, if you follow the guideline as provided above, step by step and remember to insulate the power lines and the suction lines effectively, then you will be okay. However, an inexperienced homeowner shouldn’t try this on their own, getting help from a pro may come at a price but ensure all is in order.
