John Cantor Heat Pumps

Exceptionally high efficiency 10kW Heat pump system.

The heat pump operates automatically, and uses a very large 700 litre buffer cylinder (left) that can also be heated from a wood stove if desired. This gives sufficient thermal storage for heat from the woodstove to be absorbed, then used for many hours after the stove has gone out. When the heat store is exhausted, the heat pump will automatically take over.

The heat source for the heat pump is taken from a spring that runs at 10°C throughout the year, and the house has well-designed underfloor heating, so the energy efficiency of this installation is excellent.

Calorex 8kW ground source heat pump feeding radiators in a well insulated building - No buffer cylinder.

A straight-pipe trenches under construction.
Sand being added to protect the pipes from damage

Coiled pipe ready for the trench.

In the trench ready for back-filling.
Note; the presence of ground water greatly enhances the heat transfer process.

This is an interesting heat pump from Neura in Austria. The blue plastic-coated copper pipes contain the refrigerant Propane, which is environmentally benign.

The green canister is installed outside the house, and holds all the workings of the heat pump.

The pipes are un-coiled and buried in the ground where heat is extracted.

This system is referred to as a DX or 'direct expansion' system

Designed for very low energy houses-

Prototype high efficiency 2kW Ground source heat pump using hydro-carbon refrigerant.

This picture shows a typical underfloor heating system designed to operate with a heat pump.

The pipes are ready for the 80mm screed to be added.

The pipe spacing is on average about 80mm (3"), and the pipes are on weld-mesh, and kept within the screed (i.e. not touching the insulation). This results in very low water temperatures. This increases the energy efficiency of the heat pump significantly.

A tiled surface is much better than a wood covering when a heat pump is used.

This well insulated room is about 4m x 4m and uses 2 x 100m parallel loops of pipe.

The insulation thickness below is 130mm of Kingspan.

National Trust, Crafwyn Hall, Beddgelert. 13kW system using 3 x 100m boreholes.
Plant room showing system finished apart from the all important pipe insulation!