1980s terraced house with underfloor heating - heat pump?

Today the installer of our heat pump was here because it had stopped producing heat after loud rattling in the part outside with the fan.
This happened on a holiday, as it should ;-).
It was simply switched off and on again, and it’s currently running.
The installer couldn’t say what the problem was (he wasn’t familiar with it yet); the manufacturers have to send someone, which they will hopefully do soon.

We were and still are aware that this technology is still “something new” and that there can be corresponding problems can.
I find it clearly better not to burn gas or even oil (as we did before) that I accept this somewhat uncertain situation without hesitation.
New technology needs time to be developed to perfection, and if nobody uses it, nothing will come of it...

We have 2 wood stoves in the house and wood in the garage, so in case of doubt we can manage for a while like that.

:-)

That’s why I decided on a slightly older model from Daikin, which has been on the market for 5 years already. Of course, anything can happen. The advantage of a heat pump is that they have longer warranties. For older houses, the (renovation of chimneys from gas or oil connections, chimney sweep costs every year, etc.) is missing. Naturally, the money saved with the heat pump should be put aside because anything can happen.

I had a direct expansion heat pump installed 10 years ago. It was a proprietary development by a local provider with purchased components. I talked at length with the technician during a maintenance visit in early 2024. Meanwhile, the company has also switched to Daikin and now serves not only new buildings but especially existing buildings. He was fully convinced of the Daikin systems.

The heat pump is definitely not "new territory." The system is actually in every refrigerator, and in many countries, the heat pump has long been in use. Only many heating technicians in Germany never wanted to install it because they were not familiar with it or did not want to deal with it.

At my parents' house, the technician had been replacing the entire gas heating system for months and could not find a fault. They were lucky that my father, as the tenant, restarted the heating every day; otherwise, the technician or landlord would have had to show up daily. The problem could only be resolved by the manufacturer. So this does not only happen with heat pumps.

Short update:

The insurance assessor was here. According to his statements, it looks like a clear insurance case, which would result in a replacement pellet heating system. We are now waiting for feedback from the insurance and will then decide.

Addendum: My parents have had a consumption of about 5 tons of pellets per year so far (including hot water), which would mean an energy demand of approximately 25,000kWh - but the heating system is already 24 years old. Accordingly, with a heat pump, higher operating costs would be expected if I have calculated correctly (25,000 / 3-4 COP = about 6000-8000kWh electricity demand = depending on the contract about €175 electricity costs (or more) --> about €70 more per month than currently with the pellet heating system). The calculation can of course shift with changes in individual parameters.

If the insurance covers the damage, the question probably doesn't arise at all, since they will only provide compensation for the pellet heating system.

Today the installer of our heat pump was here because it had stopped producing heat after heavy rattling in the outside part with the fan.

In the meantime, everything is running as it should. One function – "the defrost control" – was newly adjusted. The technicians’ assessment was that the fan was iced up. This prevents that. The current setting uses some electricity, and without it, it would make more sense.

Wind must not blow too strongly into these devices. Usually, these things are placed against a house wall. That would have been next to our front door, which we didn’t want. That’s why I made this cover, which is now assumed to still let too much wind in from the side.

[ATTACH alt="Nibe.jpg"]89736[/ATTACH]

I was especially proud of the detail that the whole cover can be easily folded away if work ever needs to be done on it. (although this is supposedly only necessary from the front, where it is open anyway) Now I’m thinking of something for the side….