For monoblock heat pumps, people are often afraid of freezing during power outages during winter frost. These fears have a rational basis because outdoor pipelines are exposed to frosty weather in winter, but fear of freezing is in place. The well-executed installation has a well-insulated pipeline, and in most of the Czech Republic even the average temperature in January does not move so low that the water in the pipeline is frozen during normal power outages.
"The average January temperature in the Czech Republic reaches a maximum of -5 ° C. At this temperature, the copper pipe DN 25, which is insulated with 3 cm thick stone wool, completely freezes after two days of inactivity. At normal winter temperatures, therefore, the risk of freezing is not too high ", describes the winter operation of air-water heat pumps Ivo Zabloudil (ENBRA). "Even at the summit of Sněžka, where the lowest average temperatures in the Czech Republic are, the complete freezing of the pipes would take place only after a day," added Zabloudil.
Such long power outages do not normally occur in most of the Czech Republic. Distributors have a well-developed monitoring and fault reporting system, and their failure teams are on standby 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Longer electricity supply outages and the associated risk of frost may only be threatened in remote or mountainous areas.
Heat pumps are usually equipped with various anti-freeze components for higher security. Sufficient protection in suburban and urban areas where long-term electricity outages do not occur is the heating cable in the outdoor pipeline. "In remote and mountainous areas it is possible to connect a backup power source - UPS - to the heating cable or use special Exogel valves. They can slightly drop the water from the pipes when the outdoor temperature drops to 1 ° C and prevent its possible rupture due to freezing, " explains other options Ivo Zabloudil. An effective step is also the use of antifreeze in the heating system. In addition to higher prices, this also carries special demands on sealing joints in the heating system.
Despite the need for antifreeze measures in the event of long-term power outages, monoblock heat pumps have a number of advantages. The main factor is the lower purchase price, simple assembly and lower operating costs, as there are many mandatory annual refrigerant revisions for many of this type of equipment. The monoblock heat pump does not take up space in the technical room, so it is also suitable for new buildings where these spaces are often missing.
Source: tz, edited editorially