How to make ice with a heat pump

[Brian_UK]

Went to a site today that had had a Mitsi inverter heat pump installed. As it was a listed building they had fitted the condensing unit inside the building without any consideration as to the effect it would have.

The guy on site said it's unsafe because the floor, a fire exit route, was covered in water. Had a look and yes he was right.

The poor unit was extracting so much heat out of the surroundings that you could have used it for a cold store cooler.

The defrost drain tray fitted under it was full, but not with water, it was a solid block of ice As it happens the tray drained into a sump pump mounted underneath; guess what ? The sump pump was a solid block of ice as well.

It had reached the stage that any new defrost water now partially froze on top of the ice block and the run-off went over the floor.

[US Iceman]

I've worked on some development projects for ice maker heat pumps but they did not look like this.

They did not work the same way either.

[star882]

What was with the heat pump indoors? Installers too lazy to cut a hole in the wall for plumbing?

[Brian_UK]

What was with the heat pump indoors? Installers too lazy to cut a hole in the wall for plumbing?

No, they couldn't. Don't know your term for it but in the UK a "listed" building is one that cannot be modified from it's original design or structure.

In other words, it is an old building that they are not allowed to hang condensers etc on the outside walls.

Still a crap plan.

[NoNickName]

Well, I can think about three more ways to do it:

1) water/water heat pump with dry coolers on the roof or in the parking lot, or ground water, or tap water
2) air/water heat pump with remote condenser on the roof or in the parking lot, or in exhaust air duct
3) geothermal heat pump

[Brian_UK]

NNN, still come back to the same problem that they cannot do anything outside the building or through the building structure.

[phil68]

NNN, still come back to the same problem that they cannot do anything outside the building or through the building structure.

What happens when summer comes & the indoor unit is in cooling mode? The temp. in that room is going to go through the roof Can they not even fit an extractor fan to the room with an inlet grille on the door? That would help in both modes

[Brian_UK]

What happens when summer comes & the indoor unit is in cooling mode? The temp. in that room is going to go through the roof Can they not even fit an extractor fan to the room with an inlet grille on the door? That would help in both modes

That's what i'm waiting to see

I am looking at replacing some windows with louvres and fitting fans inside the building so I think that we can get around it somehow.

[NoNickName]

NNN, still come back to the same problem that they cannot do anything outside the building or through the building structure.

Well, air conditioning is a luxury, after all. They can live without. Heating can be achieved with a gas fired heater installed in the CEO office.