low ambient heat pump to supplement house heating

billchat

I had considered changing steam system to a hot water system in my 2 story 2 family but from the answers iI got back from a post, I've decided not worth it. But I was considering adding low ambient heat pump (slim units) to give 2nd floor control of their supplement heat and use existing steam system as primary for 1st floor. thoughts ? Suggestions on sizing of slim type units and your experience with low ambient heat pump for heating when its get cold out. what is life cycle of units and what maintenance is required.

Techman

supplemental heat

 With most steam systems you shouldn't need sup/heat. Flapping jaws , what do you have for A/C ? Using a ( 2nd fl gone) steam boiler that would be oversized  is not so good. Being that a lot of 2nd fl's are generally cooler than 1st fl's(wind)( your floor is their warm ceiling), having a unit like you are describing could provide a tempering heat  for the 2nd fl ,to not fire the boiler at all, on  52 1/2 *f - 62 3/4*f day's ??????????

billchat

low ambient heat pump to supplement house heating

while I may be flapping jaws to find out other means to help make the 2nd floor more comfortable. I do not have the expertise of a tech man and do not pretend to. I was simply asking is if using slim type heat pump units to they work when its cold out. what is the life cycle 10yrs,20 or 30. and what maintenance is required. Presently the only ac in the house is removaeable window units. I am trying to find the best way to provide the most efficient means of having the 2nd floor tenant responsible for heating. above and beyond what might be reasonable. I thought by providing slim type units if the tenant wanted hotter than required and still leave the windows open that the tenant could supplement using low ambient heat pump units yes or nowill it work?? being a novice I thanks for your response

Techman

Supp/heat

Hi bill. That was me flapping jaws! And I think what you want to do is good, make sure that you spec a "low ambient HP". Not sure about the longevity of those units. Maintenance is normal, indoor air filters, wash outdoor unit once a year.

ChrisJ

Why

I would have to ask why does the second floor not get enough heat when its cold out?



I installed TRVs on two of my largest second floor radiators to reduce the amount of heat I get there when its cold out.  A properly balanced steam system should have no problem heating both floors evenly 90% of the time.  Mine is a single family house which makes it a bit different, but TRVs can work very well in multifamily dwellings as well.  In fact, I believe that was their original intent.

Jack

Don't known where you are

But this is a good system upgrade in my experience. As noted, make sure you fully understand the performance of the particular model number you are lookingo at installing. Seer and HSPF ratings will vary dramatically by model from each manuf.



Also, from a cost standpoint, in my home I was going to go with a triple unit. In looking more closely, I ended up doing a dual unit for the upstairs bedrooms and went with a single hi seer/HSPF unit downstairs. Equipment cost was about the same. System performance and zone control is much better.