The discomfort of the heat, it is certainly one of the main prejudices against heat pumps air to air, on the grounds that the heat is not quality for several reasons: either dry air, or that they are uncomfortable drafts, While the hot air stays in the top of the room. Well, all three are due (in my opinion, as someone does not convincingly argue otherwise) to poor directing the flow of air from the indoor unit.
air drying
At this point it is clear that no heating dry air in the direction of reducing its absolute humidity, but all (only than the combustion of gas or the like in the house without exterior gas output, increasing the absolute humidity of the combustion product water) do so in the sense of reducing relative humidity, warm air holds more quantity water vapor, and therefore keeping the temperature increases the absolute humidity, relative humidity is reduced. Thus, any heating system that heats the air at an elevated temperature, if you breathe this air directly before mixing with the rest of the stay, it will feel exactly that drying directly on our airways. Obviously secret to avoid the feeling of dry air will not be in a position to breathe air directly heated by the heating system.
discomfort of air currents
certainly heat pumps air to air heat distributed through the drive that forced (fan) hot air inside the room or through a ceiling indoor unit distributed air duct or through a wall bracket (the most typical installed in air conditioners), floor (there are, but I think quite often more expensive) or ceiling (these are looking pretty in cafeterias) embedded (cassette) or without recessed. Obviously the secret to avoid annoying drafts will direct the air vents to where we are not.
as air temperature stratification
Hot air is less dense than cold air, which will tend to rise, the same phenomenon that allows floating balloons, will be responsible for a bad heat distribution in the room, since the maximum comfort is obtained with higher temperature in the feet (land) in the head (ceiling). It is precisely for this reason that, without a doubt, the best heat distribution system is provided by the underfloor heating, heated as hot:
- Electric Direct: Playing with the thermal inertia of the soil, can take advantage of the tariff schedules of time discrimination, although not optimal.
- Water System: A further advantage compared to water system with radiators, is the lowest temperature required for water circulation, which allows using either low temperature boilers and even condensation, or heat pump air / water or soil / water (which has also agreed to call geothermal) in areas of high performance work.
- In systems with heaters (electric or water system), these will yield a great deal of heat air inlets in direct contact with them, air will rise and be replaced by more cold air. However, under window placement is precisely to achieve a better blend with the room air to avoid stratification. The reason is best understood in the reverse situation (we suffer, before getting rid of issuers in double room): if we put a radiator in front of a window stay, may occur with high probability a cycle of air circulation to increase flow into the radiator (hot air), down in the window (so cool), and a temperature near the radiator significantly different compared to near window, as well as significantly colder air at ground level to roof level, or completely stratified (bad). In
- air delivery systems, such as heat pumps air / air distribution ducts are with (the Yankees also use hot air supply combustion boilers) or with consoles, the hot air should be insufflated directed downward
(even do it at ground level the canal, or even could be used a floor console in the second type).
Recommendations for heat pumps
For ceiling unit, had it not been the vents with adjustable rack and can not update, you might want, even the fan installation roof in winter mode blow toward the ceiling, breaking the air stratification (warm air above cold below). These ceiling fans are also recommended for any heating system where air stratification is significant (high ceilings, for example), and may also improve the comfort, eventually reduce consumption by forcing hot air down and affect less heat swelling to reach a certain temperature level tersmostato.
For heat pumps with interior consoles, as all (as far as I know) can direct the air output in both height and side, should not be difficult to orient the output down and automatically get broken stratification. It's like we do. In this sense, it is important to choose the correct location of the indoor unit, for example, although for cooling mode (here the air outlet to the ceiling must be horizontal, as air cold and is denser and lower only) might be a good location right on a couch, to heat mode, having to direct the air down, it is not the ideal location far as the air flow will be hotter the environment, in the case of a pump inverter, in addition, this air is considerably warmer if it is not in the maintenance phase of temperature (which almost exactly blown just the heat that is lost). While not the optimum location, it can be an acceptable air direction even in such settings, directing the output, for example, at an angle such as 45 ° the vertical: it is our case with the console double room (I must say, my stubbornness, not the more Eastern Orthodox council installer) just above the headboard of the bed, giving a perfectly acceptable heat distribution without uncomfortable drafts.
Indeed, it is not advisable to go to play with the thermostat: "Uff! So cold now I just get home! I'll put the thermostat on the heat pump at 30 ° C for that hot before --- Uff! What burden of heat! I'll turn it off! " . The correct behavior is to put to pump the desired temperature (21 ° C in our case), hopefully be scheduled an hour or two before our arrival so that you have already heated the house and is in maintenance mode, in addition, the pump efficiency will be higher the outside temperature has increased (more in the afternoon than at night).
