Each user must select the heat pump water heater that suits them according to their needs.
Steps to Choose a Proper Heat Pump Water Heater
1. Determine the Type
Choose the type of heat pump water heater according to your household’s domestic hot water consumption habits and your home installation conditions:
- If the bathroom is small and there is no platform on the outer wall for the outdoor unit and water tank, consider an integral wall-mounted heat pump water heater.
- If the outer wall of the bathroom has space for an air-conditioning outdoor unit and your household’s hot water demand is larger, consider a split heat pump water heater.
In addition, the local temperature environment must be taken into account. In cold areas, to guarantee hot water use in winter, choose a heat pump water heater with auxiliary electric heating.
2. Determine the Brand
Compared with other water heater products, the heat pump water heater is a relatively new product type. The quality of a heat pump water heater can be summarised as “30% from production, 70% from service”, so ensuring product quality is very important. Consumers should choose a manufacturer that specialises in water heater production, even if the price is a bit higher. For a formal professional manufacturer, there will be detailed standards and executable specifications for internal configuration, component selection, production process, welding process, insulation technology, installation skill and after-sales capability, so the quality is naturally guaranteed.
Kolant inverter heat pumps hold European heat pump standard certificates including EN14825 and EN14511, as well as UL certification, which also satisfies the quality requirements of Canada and the USA.
Consumers can compare manufacturers from the following aspects:
- Manufacturer qualifications — how long they have been making water heaters, the strength of the manufacturer, and which national or international certification certificates they hold.
- Local market performance — the sales of this product or related products in your area, the size of the user base, and the maximum number of years their products have been in service locally.
- Technical characteristics of the product — (1) the company’s independent R&D capability and the technology patents it has applied for; (2) the power of the main unit and the COP value (thermal efficiency). These parameters should be certified by a national quality inspection authority.
3. Determine the Tank Volume
Two things need to be checked:
- The nominal volume of the water tank, that is, the nominal litre capacity of the tank.
- According to national standards, the actual volume of the water tank should be greater than 92% of the nominal volume.
According to consumers’ water consumption habits:
- A family of 2 people generally uses a 100 L water tank.
- A family of 3 people uses a 150 L water tank.
- A family of 4 people uses a 200–300 L water tank.
- If the household has more than 5 people, a larger volume water tank is recommended.
4. Installation Common Sense: Choose the Water Heater Before Renovation
The same as with other water heaters, you should buy the water heater first and then carry out the decoration. Some water heater manufacturers provide professionals for free door-to-door design, including pipeline direction, pipeline embedding, wall modification (for integral wall-mounted heat pump water heaters) or installation location selection, which creates convenient conditions for the future installation. If the pipelines are not properly positioned during the decoration, the installation location of the water heater will be limited and products suitable for your needs cannot be installed; or the inlet and outlet pipes will be too long, which seriously affects the appearance of the bathroom.
Secondly, if you buy an integrated wall-mounted heat pump water heater, there will be a safety hazard if the reserved position is not on a load-bearing wall. If you choose the water heater first, the installation position can be reserved according to the size of the water heater and the location of the inlet and outlet pipes, so that after installation it is not only reliable and good-looking, but also saves on pipes.
5. Requirements for the Installation Environment
Air source heat pump water heaters have relatively high installation requirements. It is best to ask professionals to install them after purchase. The following points must be considered during installation:
- Since the air source heat pump absorbs heat from the air, good ventilation must be ensured. If it is installed against a wall, the air inlet side should be more than 20–30 cm away from the wall.
- Since the water tank of an air source heat pump water heater is relatively large, attention must be paid to the fixing and load-bearing of the water tank.
- Sufficient maintenance space should be reserved for the installation of the machine.
Precautions
Once the heat pump water heater has been installed for the first time, power it on after the inspection confirms everything is correct. When setting the water temperature for daily use, start from a lower temperature; if the hot water supply is not enough, adjust the temperature higher. This saves electricity.
The heating efficiency of a heat pump water heater increases as the ambient temperature rises. It is recommended to run the heat pump water heater during the warmest time of the day, so that it operates more economically.
Take care not to block the air inlet and outlet of the heat pump unit, otherwise the performance of the unit will drop, or the automatic protection device will start and the unit will fail to operate normally.
Since the Kolant DC inverter air source heat pump water heater is a multifunctional heating device, the user can choose to operate it in room space heating, room cooling, DHW, room heating+DHW, or room cooling+DHW mode.
Frequently Asked Questions during choose heat pump
What size heat pump water heater do I need?
A 100 L tank suits a family of 2, 150 L suits 3 people, and 200–300 L suits a family of 4. For households of more than 5 people, choose a larger tank. Always check that the actual tank volume is at least 92% of the nominal volume.
Should I choose an integrated or a split heat pump water heater?
If the bathroom is small and the outer wall has no platform for an outdoor unit, choose an integral wall-mounted unit. If the outer wall has space for an outdoor unit and your hot water demand is higher, a split unit is the better choice.
Do I need a heat pump water heater with auxiliary electric heating?
In cold areas, yes. A model with auxiliary electric heating guarantees hot water supply during winter, when ambient temperatures drop and the efficiency of the heat pump falls.
How much clearance does a heat pump water heater need?
Keep the air inlet side more than 20–30 cm away from the wall to ensure good ventilation. Also reserve enough space around the unit for maintenance, and make sure the wall or floor can bear the weight of a full water tank.
When is the most economical time to run a heat pump water heater?
Run it during the warmest part of the day. Heating efficiency rises with the ambient temperature, so daytime operation uses less electricity.
Can I use a heat pump water heater for space heating and cooling too?
Yes, if you choose a multifunctional model. The Kolant DC inverter air source heat pump water heater can run in room space heating, room cooling, DHW, room heating+DHW or room cooling+DHW mode.
