DISABLED AND A HEAT PUMP

Apr 09, 2007 2 Replies
J

I was a professor of Mechanical Engineering many years ago. I have been disabled for a long time. I am in the process of building a home, and have come across a problem. I must have the temperature inside of the house,



24/7/365 at 67 degrees. I now live in TN and it gets very hot here, 95 is not uncommon. I was told by several HVAC companies that the new heat pumps with an air handler will work for my case. But from my old days of doing things by hand and slid rule, a heat pump cannot do this, they say it can.

Can some one please advise me on this problem. If you do answer me, please consider this, it concerns my life.



thanks Prof. Jake Trexel


Vote
Twitter Facebook LinkedIn
M

...

You need to have some calculations done on cooling capacity you require in your home. Architecture can have a major impact on your cooling needs and that needs to be taken into account. The group alt.hvac or alt.hvac.design might be more appropriate as they do those types of calculations all the time.

Once you know the load to be expected, you can take into account the capability of the various technologies to achieve this cooling capacity. Again, the architecture of the house can have a dramatic impact on the cooling effort required.

Some rough values might be done by yourself at sites like this:

formatting link
formatting link
Of course, you're aware that moving would make it all easier. If you find that this is truly a life issue, you're also going to need to account for the fact that power fails. So what will you do if power fails and it's the hottest part of the day? If not a big diesel generator, I'd consider building a room in the home that can be cooled separately from the entire house in some easier manner, and perhaps at a reduced differential.

Vote
Twitter Facebook LinkedIn
B

As far as I can tell, you are asking if air conditioning can drop the ambient in a house by 28 degrees F. A rule of thumb says a 20 degree drop is the normal expectation. Higher drops are more expensive. The temperature RISE available from heat pumps is more problematical I agree.

Brian Whatcott Altus OK

Vote
Twitter Facebook LinkedIn

Join the Discussion

Have something to add? Share your thoughts — no account required.

Didn't find your answer?

Ask the community — no account required