Heat pumps are very popular in households and the three most
popular types of Heat
Pumps are Ground Source Heat Pumps, Air Source Heat Pumps & Absorption Heat
Pumps. These three works very much like each other. However, they differ in
source and some other aspect.
Knowing the differences between these 3 different types of heat
pumps will help you decide whether or now you need a Ground Source Heat Pump or
an Air Source Heat Pump or an Absorption Heat Pump.
First of all, just to get you caught up, here’s what a heat
pump is –
What is a Heat Pump?
A heat pump is very much like a refrigerator. They are not
like a traditional central
air conditioner. While traditional air conditioning units
push the air of your room to outside, these heat pumps push the air inside the
room. What they do is, extract the heat form any cold space and then releasing the
heat into an even warmer one. So, basically what they are doing is, extracting heat
from the outer environment where it is colder and then transfers the heat into
a controlled environment like your bedroom, living room or kitchen.
You must be wondering – what happens when you need to cool
the room instead of heating it.
Well, the heat pumps can handle that too.
When situations like this arrive when you require cooling
instead of heating, the heat pump just reverses the cycle. Since they are
capable of both heating and cooling, they have grown to be one of the most
popular HVAC system equipment. The market is literally filled with heat pumps for
Trane systems, Carrier system, GoodMan,
etc.
1.
Air Source Heat Pumps
Air Source Heat Pumps is very common to see in the households
because people are familiar with the functionality.
It has an outdoor fan that brings air from outside to the refrigerant-filled
coil section. There are 2 sets of these refrigerant-filled coils. These 2 sets of
coils transfer the heat inside and there the air is blown away to the
controlled room by another fan. This second fan distributes the air evenly into
the room which is one of its primary jobs.
Some of the Air Source Heat Pumps are included with one single
packaged unit. This unit consists of both of the sets of refrigerant-filled
coils. Then this box with the coils inside is installed on a building’s roof
where it connected to the room via air ducts. Due to the lack of HVAC installation
hassles, these are very popular among the commercial community and this rooftop
setup is also dawned for these commercial uses.
Many big commercial buildings use them to ensure heating and cooling inside the building
is at optimal for energy efficiency and comfort. On the other hand, the air
source heat pumps that are used in the households are fairly compact and implemented
in the home as a split system. Here, an outdoor component is set up outside
your house and the indoor one is mounted on the wall inside your home. But
depending on the size of the house and the layout, you could be needed several
indoor & outdoor components.
2.
Ground Source Heat Pump
Ground Source Heat pumps are often called Geothermal Heat
Pumps. Unlike the air source heat pumps, these ground source heat pumps absorb
the heat from the ground. The ground source can also be a water source if needed.
As you have guessed by now, these units are also capable of both heating and air conditioning.
They absorb the heat from the water source of the ground and then transfers the
heat indoor or vice versa depending on your need.
The most popular and common types of ground source heat
pumps use the buried pipelines that are filled with refrigerant or water. These
pipes with liquids filled in them are either open-loop system or closed-loop
system. When it is an open-looped system, the liquid is flushed out and when it
is a closed system, the liquid is reused over and over again. The heat was extracted
from the water and then the heat is transferred indoors.
3.
Absorption Heat Pump
While air source heat pumps and ground source heat pumps are
used in households these absorption heat pumps are being used in large-scale
facilities and commercial application. People can install it on their houses too
but it being bigger than usual houses would help with the AC Repair and air
conditioning service expenses.
The biggest difference between a standard air source heat
pump and an absorption heat pump is the fact that standard air source heat pump
compresses the refrigerant and in the absorption heat pump, ammonia is absorbed
into the water. Following this internal event, a low powered pump then
pressurizes it. The ammonia is then boiled out by the heat source and the
entire process starts all over again.
Which one would you need?
Well, just like which central
ac unit will suit my home the best, this question also depend on a few factors.
First of all, you need to ask yourself what source is more
easily and effortlessly available to you. Then you consider how big your house
is. And lastly, make sure the expenses for the entire house ventilation gets
under the budget your planned for.