Sizing the expansion tank for a geothermal heat pump water heater may seem like a daunting task, but it doesn’t need to be. With the right information and a few simple steps, you can size the expansion tank properly and make sure your system runs efficiently.
When sizing an expansion tank for your geothermal heat pump water heater, the first step is to determine the total volume of water in your system. This includes the volume of water in your water heater, as well as any connected pipes or tanks. Once you’ve determined this, you’ll need to calculate how much additional space is needed for thermal expansion. Thermal expansion occurs when hot water expands due to increased temperature.
To calculate this, you’ll need to know the pressure rating of your system, as well as the temperature range it will operate under. Generally speaking, a safe bet is to assume that your system will operate between 20°C and 60°C (68°F and 140°F). The higher end of this range is what’s known as the “maximum allowable working pressure” (MAWP). This is important information when sizing an expansion tank because it determines how much additional space needs to be added into your system for thermal expansion.
The next step is to determine how much additional space needs to be added into your system for thermal expansion. Generally speaking, you’ll want an expansion tank that has at least twice the total volume of your system in order to ensure proper operation of your geothermal heat pump water heater. For example, if your total system volume was 500 litres (132 gallons), then you would want an expansion tank with at least 1000 litres (264 gallons) of capacity.
Finally, it’s important to make sure that any pipes or tanks connected to your geothermal heat pump water heater are properly insulated from both hot and cold temperatures. This will help prevent any further thermal expansion from occurring and ensure that your system runs efficiently without any unexpected problems arising from improper sizing of the expansion tank.
Sizing an expansion tank for a geothermal heat pump water heater doesn’t have to be difficult or intimidating – with just a few simple steps and some basic information about your system, you can have peace of mind knowing that everything is sized correctly and running smoothly!