Central Heating Pump Insulation

[markdavies500]

I'm looking at developing a product to insulate a domestic central heating pump. It would be easy to fit over the pump and could be removed to gain access.

Currently products are provided to insulate hot water pipes and the hot water tank in a domestic central heating system. It is estimated that pipe insulation can save around £15 a year and hot water tank jackets around £40 per year. But there is no product for the pump.

Early indications show that the product would cost approx £7 and would save approx the same valve per year in energy bills. Therefore the pay back for the product would be 1 year.

Any thoughts or feedback would be appreciated

Thanks

Mark

 

[45yearsagasman]

But there is no product for the pump.

Now I wonder why there is no such product.........Think about it! and what are the requirements for a pump and its motor?

 

[D_Hailsham]

But there is no product for the pump.

Now I wonder why there is no such product.........Think about it! and what are the requirements for a pump and its motor?

But there is such a product! Grundfos make insulating shells for the Alpha 2 range of pumps. I don't know about the Selectrics or the earlier Alphas.

Untitled

• D_Hailsham
• 18 Apr 2012
• 1

 

[45yearsagasman]

I was thinking more about the motor overheating if it was covered. I can see by pic that the motor is not covered for the Alpha 2 pump. Not seen them before. Not sure its a winner though.
Live and learn.

 

[markdavies500]

Grunfos and Wilo have started to supply the insulation with their new pumps (Alpha 2, Magna range etc)

But there is no product for all the existing pumps in homes. The product i was thinking off would be able to be retro-fitted to existing pumps and would be made out of a fire resistant material

Mark

 

[Agile]

The existing pumps are much higher power and the motor should not be covered.

Tony

 

[muggles]

There is also no such thing as a 'standard size' of CH circulator, the old ones were all different, so you'd have to make separate jacket designs for really old Grundfos, slightly newer old Grundfos, Wilo, SMC, Pegler etc etc

 

[JohnD]

Early indications show that the product would cost approx £7 and would save approx the same valve per year in energy bills. Therefore the pay back for the product would be 1 year.

Please explain how you calculated this.

 

[markdavies500]

The calculations were done by a third party company. In terms of 'standard size' circulator pumps, they are all slightly different but the difference in minimal therefore is should be relatively easy to produce a product to 'fit-all'

 

[JohnD]

Please explain how you calculated this.

I said "How" not "Who"

As you will have guessed, I doubt the veracity of the claim and want to see some evidence to support it. I will particularly want to see any evidence assuming that heat released into the house is "wasted" when the house is being heated during the cold weather, and I will want to see the evidence of how many hours a day the pump is assumed to be running during the summer when it is just heating the cylinder, and I will want to see the assumed energy cost. I would be interested to know how cost-effective you think insulating the pump would be, compared to insulating pipes or other energy-saving actions such as draughtproofing.