Get your heat pump ready for winter
We’ve put together our top tips to make sure you enjoy a cost home this winter.
Bleeding air from your system and radiators
Your radiators or underfloor heating is filled with water, which is used to deliver heat to your rooms. It’s not uncommon for air to get trapped in the system, preventing the hot water from circulating properly which can reduce the effectiveness of your heating system.
This is because a build-up of air in your central heating system means that your heat pump has to work harder to heat your home, reducing the efficiency of the system as a whole.
Bleeding your radiators lets the trapped air out of your central heating system, encouraging the heat to be transferred from the heat pump into your home more effectively – increasing efficiency and overall comfort.
We recommend that you bleed your radiators once a year, even if you haven’t noticed a problem. You can tell if there’s air trapped in the system if you can hear whistling or glugging noises, if you are aware of cold spots, if a radiator is cold at the top, or if your room takes longer to heat than normal.
You should start by bleeding the downstairs radiators, followed by the upstairs. Important: please ensure your heating is turned off whilst you do this.
Checking your system pressure
Over time, heating systems naturally lose pressure. However, if your heating pressure drops near zero, a low flow error can occur which may turn off your heating and hot water.
If this happens, you can increase the pressure by adding water into the system from your cold-water mains. We install filling loops next to, or near, the pressure gauges to allow you to top up the pressure – we recommend topping the pressure back up to 1.5-2 bar.
Depending on the type of system installed, you may have 1 or 2 filling loops. These are usually found next to your hot water cylinder. Filling loops consist of a braided pipe with a valve on either end, as shown in the image.
How to top up your pressure:
1.Locate the two black taps
2.Fully open one of the black taps with a ‘quarter turn’ so that it is running in the same direction to the pipe
3.Slowly start to open the second valve
4.You should see the pressure of your system increasing
5.Once the pressure reaches between 1.5 – 2 bar, close both valves again
Cleaning filters
Filter valves are fitted on all our installs to collect debris found inside the heating system. If these filters become clogged, they can reduce the flow of water through your system, which means a drop in system efficiency and your overall comfort.
You can find filter valves on the pipework either externally, near the heat pump, or internally, where most of the equipment for the heat pump was installed. They look similar to the image below. They could also be silver and may be larger or smaller than the image shown.
You can tell if your filters are clogged if you see certain error codes on your heat pump (E911 on Samsung units or E8 on Midea Units) or if you heat pump is working correctly but not much heat is being delivered to your radiators (which is likely caused by a clog in the radiator side filter).
How to clear the filters:
Before you begin, you will need a spanner and some pliers.
1.Turn off your heat pump to ensure it isn’t running.
2.Close the valve by pointing the lever at a right angle to the pipe.
3.Loosen the nut with a spanner – a small amount of water will leak out at this stage. If a lot of water is coming from the valve, ensure it is fully closed.
4.Locate and remove the circlip inside the filter with the pliers.
5.Remove the internal gauze and rinse under a running tap until clean.
6.Reinstate the internal gauze, circlip, nut and then open the valve back up.
NB. Make sure you use the spanner to ensure the nut is on tight and not leaking.
7.Turn your heat pump back on and clear any error codes – see steps on how to do this below.
If you need any support with cleaning the filters, or have any issues with the above steps, please contact the team by emailing heatpumps@goodenergy.co.uk.
Defrosting
During the colder months, it’s not unusual to see a small amount of ice form on your heat pump. This usually occurs due to the heat pump extracting energy from the air, making the air around it colder and causing condensation which may then freeze . This is not a cause for concern as your heat pump knows when it is time to melt away the ice build-up (this is called defrost mode) so that it can continue work effectively and maintain the comfort in your home.
When the heat pump completes a defrost cycle, you will usually hear a noise and see what appears to be smoke. This is just the heat pump switching back to heating mode and releasing steam – it is not a cause for concern.
What to do if the heat pump is frozen?
1. Check that the filter is not dirty, see steps for checking this above. If it is dirty, clean it as instructed above and reactivate the system.
2.Check the condition of the fan. If the fan is stationary even though your thermostat in the home is turned up, please get in touch.
3.Clear any obstructions around the heat pump. If there are accumulated leaves and debris or anything covering the heat pump, remove them.
Thermostat settings
The use of your thermostat will be a little different with a heat pump compared to your boiler. Heat pumps are a little slower to react than boilers, and they like to be run for longer periods of time compared to frequent start/stop.
Think of it in comparison to a car. A boiler would be like frequently slamming the accelerator to up to 70mph and slamming the brake back down to 0. A heat pump would be like gradually getting up to 60mph and cruising there. And it is in this cruising behaviour that you have a more efficiently run system. You will notice also, instead of the heat pump cruising at “70mph”, it is cruising at “60mph”. This is due to the weather compensation feature where it adapts how hard it is working in relation to the outdoor temperature. This means that you may find that the radiators aren’t as hot as when you had a boiler, but the room temperature will still be at the same comfort level.
Efficiency isn’t everything, of course, considering your comfort level is equally as important. This is why we recommend that rather than setting your thermostat to just switch OFF, it is more efficient to set it 2-3 degrees lower than you want to be ON. Think of this as “daytime” and “nighttime” temperatures.
Clearing error codes
If you experience a problem with your heat pump, such as the filters becoming blocked, an error code will show, and they don’t always clear themselves after you have fixed the problem.
How to clear the error codes on a Midea heat pump:
1.Locate the “fuse board” installed by us.
2.There will be a switch labelled ASHP, heat pump, or similar. Turn this off for 30 seconds. Then turn it back on.
3.Allow the heat pump to go through its start-up sequence. This can take up to 10 minutes.
4.If problems have been fixed, the error codes should have cleared.
For more information on Midea controls, please see this useful video.
How to clear the error codes on a Samsung heat pump:
1. Ensure that the heating is enabled “on” at the Samsung controller. The Samsung controller screen will display “OFF” for the heating, if it is disabled.
2.To re-enable it, use the arrow keys on the controller to highlight the heating section, then use the On/Off button next to the arrow keys to switch it on. It will then change from “OFF” to displaying numbers, “0.0”. If it displays numbers other than 0.0, then this means the heating water temperature has been boosted. For example, if it displays 2.5, then the controller was set to boost the water temperature by 2.5 degrees.
3.If after the above actions, your error reappears, or you cannot clear it please let us know. We will usually ask for the error code and for images of pressure gauges to help us identify how to fix your problem.
For more information on Samsung heat pump controls, please see this useful video.
FAQs
Heat pumps typically use more energy in the winter months as they need to run at a higher flow temperature to compensate for the colder weather outside. This means that your energy costs will be higher during these months.
If you pay for your energy by Direct Debit, your energy supplier will average your consumption across the year to charge you a set monthly amount. This can help with managing energy bills in the winter months when our electricity consumption increases, meaning you don’t get big spikes in your bill.
If you are concerned about consumption, keep checking your meters over the course of a month or so. Make sure you are reading the numbers from the meters installed with the heat pump and not your electricity meter, as that will show usage from all your electrical appliances, not just your heat pump.
As a rule of thumb, we estimate the annual electricity consumption for heating with a heat pump to be broken down as per the table below. If we use an annual bill of £3000 as an example, we expect 15% of that, or £450, to be used in December. By comparison we would expect April to have a usage of around 7%, or £210. It is worth noting that this is mostly driven by heating settings and the weather.
The most efficient way to set up the controls for your air source heat pump will depend on your individual heating needs and usage patterns. Generally, it is recommended to set the controls to maintain a consistent temperature in your home, rather than turning the heating off and on throughout the day, and to use a setback temperature (or nighttime temperature) around 2C below your daytime temperature. You should also consider using a programmable thermostat to optimize your heating system’s efficiency. We can fit these as part of your install.
Steam is produced when the air source heat pump is in the process of defrosting. This is a normal part of the defrost cycle and is not a cause for concern. The steam is created as the refrigerant in the heat pump warms up and melts any ice that has formed on the coils.
Yes, your heat pump will need to be serviced on a regular basis to ensure it is operating efficiently. This will typically involve cleaning the filters, checking the water quality, confirming settings, and inspecting the system for any signs of wear or damage. A professional Good Energy Plumbing Technicians can perform these tasks for you.
If your radiators are not sized to work with an air source heat pump, they may not be able to provide enough heat to keep your home warm. In this case, you may need to replace your radiators with sizes that are compatible with your heat pump system. You could also consider improving your home’s insulation to help retain heat more effectively. Find out about the best radiators for your heat pump here.
We’ve put together a useful article explaining several ways to save energy while maintaining your heat pump’s efficiency and a warm, comfortable home.
The COP, or coefficient of performance, is a measure of the efficiency of your heat pump. A good COP to have is typically around 3, which means that for every unit of electrical energy used, the heat pump is able to produce 3 units of heating energy. The actual COP will vary depending on factors such as the temperature outside and the size of your system. This figure changes over the course of the year so it best to average it over a 12-month period before drawing any conclusions.
Yes, our team of experts would be happy to help. You can email us at heatpumps@goodenergy.co.uk or call us on 0333 016 4500. Our opening hours are 9:00 – 17:30 Monday to Friday.
We also have an out of hours service on Weekends and Bank Holidays between 9:00 – 17:30. Please note this phone line in closed on Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Years Day.