As with any complex system comprising of numerous parts - some individual components are relatively unknown. A good example of this is the humble manifold chamber - an essential but low profile part of a ground source system (they are usually buried in the ground!) A manifold chamber takes all of the pipes carrying the heat from the ground (usually 6 ports, but can be as many as 20 ) and converts them to two larger header pipes which go on to the heat pump itself. Recently we

For those of you who are interested in this sort of nitty gritty. The photo below shows the contents taken from a strainer on the pipework from a ground loop into one of our heat pump systems. The system was just 5 months old at the time of the inspection.... As you can see, it is mostly plastic pipe scrapings with the odd bit of organic debris (leaf) etc. These strainers need to be checked and emptied regularly so as to avoid blockages and a consequent reduction in the flow

Happy New Year for 2016 from all of us here at Orangehouse Renewables. Early January and the air temperatures are mild at 7oC. These current conditions, particularly with the soil being so wet, mean that ground source heat pumps are operating efficiently at ground temperatures of 10-11oC. Consequently our customers should be toasty warm AND happier with lower electricity bills! Underfloor heating really comes into it's own at this time of year. Warm floors give a higher level