How Does Heat Pump Use Water? 11 Facts You Should Know

Heat pumps require external work to pump heat. Let us discuss how does a heat pump use water in heat pump.

Heat pumps use water by a system of pipes installed in them. The water heat pumps extract heat from a body having water rather than a body having air.

The water heat pumps will extract heat from water and convert it into useful heat to heat up our homes.

Why does heat pump use water?

Heat pumps transfer heat from cold reservoir to a reservoir with higher temperature. Let us discuss why does heat pump use water.

Water heat pumps use water to extract heat from the hot compressed gas of compressor. The heat is extracted by cool water. Because of this the water exits at higher temperature and the refrigerant exits as a low pressure liquid.

When does heat pump use water?

Heat pump come in various sizes. Let us discuss when does heat pump use water in the section given below.

Heat pump uses water when the hot compressed refrigerant needs to be cooled. Small tubes or pipes are installed in which the water flows. The flowing water absorbs heat from the refrigerant.

Water source heat pump system diagram

Water source heat pump uses water to extract heat from the desired space. Let us see water source heat pump diagram.

The diagram below shows the working of a heat pump for cooling purposes. The red arrow shows hot water and blue arrow represents cold water.

how does heat pump use water
Image: Water source heat pump diagra

Water source heat pump system diagram

How does a heat pump extract heat from water?

Heat pumps are used to heat up the rooms in cold weather. Let us discuss how does a heat pump extract heat from water.

Heat pumps have a network of pipes installed in them. A comparatively colder working fluid flows through the pipes which absorbs heat from the water body such as river, lake, pond etc.

How much water do heat pumps use?

Heat pumps use water to absorb heat from the refrigerant. Let us discuss how much water do heat pumps use.

Heat pumps use nearly two to three gallons of water per minute of source water per ton of heating capacity.

How long does heat pump take to heat water?

Heat pumps efficiency is measured by a coefficient called as coefficient of performance. Let us see how long does heat pump take to heat water.

On an average, to heat a swimming pool, it takes upto 48 to 72 hours for a heat pump to heat the water at 20 degrees Fahrenheit. The heating time varies on a lot of factors such as temperature of the working fluid, fluid flow rate etc.

How much electricity does a heat pump water heater use?

Water can be heated using conventional furnaces as well as by heat pumps. Let us see how much electricity does a heat pump water uses.

A heat pump water heater uses about 0.69 units of electricity to heat the same amount of quantity that a conventional water heater heats in 2.4 units of electricity. Hence we can say that a heat pump water heater is more efficient than a conventional heating furnace.

How much electricity does an air to water heat pump use?

The amount of electricity used up by a heat pump is much lesser than energy consumed by electric furnace setup. Let us discuss how much electricity does an air to water heat pump use.

The air to water heat pump uses about 545 Watts- 7300 Watts of energy. The amount of electricity used up depends on the size of the heat pump and the amount of matter which needs to be heated.

Water source heat pumps advantages and disadvantages

The advantages and disadvantages of water source heat pump are-

Advantages:

The water source heat pumps run at very low costs and they require very less maintenance. Their design is safe and environment friendly. They provide cooling also and have higher durability.

Disadvantages:

Their fixed costs are very high and installation is equally difficult. Nobody is certain about the sustainability of water source heat pumps. Additionally it requires immense work and in winters it does not work up to one’s requirements. Planning permissions are also required.

Can a heat pump run without water?

The heat pumps use water to heat up the rooms. Let us discuss whether a heat pump can run without water or not.

The heat pumps will work with lesser efficiency and more slowly. The water inside the pipes may freeze if enough water is not flowing. The heat pumps follow a simple relation that is, more the amount heat that needs to be extracted, larger the amount of water body required.

Conclusion

In this article we discussed about how heat pumps use water. Heat pumps extract heat from water body then transfer this heat to our homes. Water source heat pumps are comparatively more efficient than conventional furnace heaters.