Don’t make these mistakes when using an air source heat pump with freezing temperatures – “However, it’s the cheapest energy”

The severe frost season continues and tightens its grip on the weekend.

According to forecasts, the frost will intensify even in southern Finland to 30 degrees and even more on Saturday and Sunday.

Finnish heat pump association Sulpu ry according to about 1.8 million different heat pumps have been installed in Finland during the past decades.

Air source heat pumps produce heat in winter and cooling in summer with good efficiency. But when the cold gets to over 20 degrees and above, the use of an air heat pump, or ilp, starts to raise questions.

Can the pump withstand freezing temperatures, should adjustments be made or should the entire device be turned off completely?

We asked Sulpu’s executive director From Jussi Hirvohow you should work with the air heat pump when there is an ice pack.

1. Do not turn off the pump even in severe frosts.

“Today, all importers, i.e. brand representatives, instruct that you don’t turn off the pump, but leave it on. This has actually been the instruction for the last 10 years. Older pumps may have differences in how they work in freezing temperatures,” says Hirvonen.

“Yes, it’s healthier for the pump that it works even if the heat output decreases at 30 degrees below zero to almost the same amount as the electricity taken by the pump’s compressor.”

“The surest thing is to keep the pump on and let it produce what it produces.”

“Stopping it is not recommended because when the ilpi is restarted, all the oils and other things are quite sticky, which can shorten the life of the compressor.”

2. Don’t fiddle with the temperature and fan speed settings

“In general, the pump should be whipped as much as possible with the most demanding heating conditions. That means the fan speed up and the temperature setting a little too high, somewhere between 23-25 ​​degrees, so that the pump produces the maximum amount of heat it can produce,” says Hirvonen.

“However, it is the cheapest energy available.”

3. Do not restart the air heat pump in severe frosts.

“It’s better to wait for the frost to be moderate, to ten degrees or below, before starting the pump again.”

“This is based on the fact that if it is restarted very cold, it will shorten the life of the pump and parts may be damaged.”

4. Make sure the outdoor unit is not frozen.

“The general advice is to visit the outdoor unit in winter and make sure it’s not frozen.”

“If it has started to freeze, you need to thaw it, for example, by taking hot water from a watering can and stopping the blowing for a while and then pouring hot water into the cell,” advises Hirvonen.

“The ice must be removed, otherwise the ice build-up will not stop.”

“Normally, freezing doesn’t happen with such severe frosts, because the air is so dry. Freezing problems tend to occur closer to freezing temperatures, when there is a lot of moisture in the atmosphere,” says Hirvonen.