Climate Change 3: Whatever you do don't call it a twatwaffle

[walrus]

Why are these controversial? Seems completely reasonable for tundra places.

I assume they are talking about Air Source ductless Mini Splits. Mitsubishi, Fujitsu, Daiken, Gree are common brands. Generally 1 unit of energy in and 3 units out. Sizing is very important as when temps drop so does heat output. Most will work to -5f but output drops as unit has to defrost outdoor unit and when doing so does not produce heat

Typical of anything that involves change. They are a proven technology but expensive and in Maine if sized correctly they won't heat your house on average 10 days out of the year. So you really need a furnace of some kind. They work in my house because I heat in the coldest part of the winter with wood. Another issue getting the heat where you want it, open concept and its great. Lots of doors and walls not so great. Now you can get multiple indoor units to hook to one outdoor unit. Lose SEER if you do so not as efficient but that puts the heat(cool) in rooms that might not get it if you have one indoor unit.
HVAC guys have issues with them as in traditional AC units the compressors run at one speed, a ductless mini split, not so. They have some kind of secret(proprietary) algorithm that makes them speed up and slow down based on need. You can't hook up a set of gauges and instantly see issues like you can traditional units.
I have Made in Maine Nyle heat pump water heater also. Its made to hook on to an existing tank, perfect fit for my Solar system. When Solar doesn't meet my needs(in the winter forget about it) the heat pump does. One word of caution with a heat pump water heater, it will cool off your basement/ equipment room, temps below 45 and no go for water heating. The Nyle allows me to duct the cold air upstairs into living room where its generally over heated due to wood heat and/or my passive solar. Another benefit of heat pump water heaters is it will dehumidify basement in summer.

Cost wise natty gas is still cheaper last I knew. Wood is the cheapest though.

 

[dxmnkd316]

I assume they are talking about Air Source ductless Mini Splits. Mitsubishi, Fujitsu, Daiken, Gree are common brands. Generally 1 unit of energy in and 3 units out. Sizing is very important as when temps drop so does heat output. Most will work to -5f but output drops as unit has to defrost outdoor unit and when doing so does not produce heat

Typical of anything that involves change. They are a proven technology but expensive and in Maine if sized correctly they won't heat your house on average 10 days out of the year. So you really need a furnace of some kind. They work in my house because I heat in the coldest part of the winter with wood. Another issue getting the heat where you want it, open concept and its great. Lots of doors and walls not so great. Now you can get multiple indoor units to hook to one outdoor unit. Lose SEER if you do so not as efficient but that puts the heat(cool) in rooms that might not get it if you have one indoor unit.
HVAC guys have issues with them as in traditional AC units the compressors run at one speed, a ductless mini split, not so. They have some kind of secret(proprietary) algorithm that makes them speed up and slow down based on need. You can't hook up a set of gauges and instantly see issues like you can traditional units.
I have Made in Maine Nyle heat pump water heater also. Its made to hook on to an existing tank, perfect fit for my Solar system. When Solar doesn't meet my needs(in the winter forget about it) the heat pump does. One word of caution with a heat pump water heater, it will cool off your basement/ equipment room, temps below 45 and no go for water heating. The Nyle allows me to duct the cold air upstairs into living room where its generally over heated due to wood heat and/or my passive solar. Another benefit of heat pump water heaters is it will dehumidify basement in summer.

Cost wise natty gas is still cheaper last I knew. Wood is the cheapest though.

That's one type. I'm talking about the heat pump water heaters. BUt this is good info as well relating to heating/cooling for the rooms.

 

[walrus]

That's one type. I'm talking about the heat pump water heaters. BUt this is good info as well relating to heating/cooling for the rooms.

Do you mean for baseboard heat?

 

[dxmnkd316]

Do you mean for baseboard heat?

Nope. Hot water heater.

 

[ScoobyDoo]

8 Years straight of the warmest recorded temperatures in history. We're going to fry.

 

[dxmnkd316]

Do you mean for baseboard heat?

I just realized I misread your post. I read this as a separate mini-split and completely missed that you were talking about exactly what I was talking about. Oops.

I have Made in Maine Nyle heat pump water heater also. Its made to hook on to an existing tank, perfect fit for my Solar system. When Solar doesn't meet my needs(in the winter forget about it) the heat pump does. One word of caution with a heat pump water heater, it will cool off your basement/ equipment room, temps below 45 and no go for water heating. The Nyle allows me to duct the cold air upstairs into living room where its generally over heated due to wood heat and/or my passive solar. Another benefit of heat pump water heaters is it will dehumidify basement in summer.

 

[walrus]

I just realized I misread your post. I read this as a separate mini-split and completely missed that you were talking about exactly what I was talking about. Oops.

Lots of manufactures of heat pump water heaters, couple things, if you have a basement and you have it on straight heat pump, it will cool your basement off. If its in a mechanical room, you will have to leave door open as it needs lots of air. They don't recover quickly if on straight heat pump, 6k btu isn't alot. You can set them on combo so both heat pump and resistance heat, just heat pump or just resistance. I have no experience with them but know folks who have them. They like them.

 

[dxmnkd316]

Lots of manufactures of heat pump water heaters, couple things, if you have a basement and you have it on straight heat pump, it will cool your basement off. If its in a mechanical room, you will have to leave door open as it needs lots of air. They don't recover quickly if on straight heat pump, 6k btu isn't alot. You can set them on combo so both heat pump and resistance heat, just heat pump or just resistance. I have no experience with them but know folks who have them. They like them.

This is really good info and appreciate it.

Our HW heater is in the laundry room (semi-finished room in the basement directly below our bedroom). In the summer, that would be excellent, like you pointed out. BUt in the winter that's no bueno since my wife prefers 800 blankets already. Any idea what the temperature of the discharge air is if you have a 50 degF space?

 

[cF[Authentic]]

Deep envy. I love the Tyrol, but so far have only been there in summer. Are you at Arena?

Currently on the opposite side of the valley in Hochzillertal. Snowed non-stop the last 24 hours so a good dusting, but low-level clouds and fog make visibility a bitch.

 

[Kepler]

;n3782051]

Currently on the opposite side of the valley in Hochzillertal. Snowed non-stop the last 24 hours so a good dusting, but low-level clouds and fog make visibility a *****.

You know how to live, my friend.

 

[walrus]

This is really good info and appreciate it.

Our HW heater is in the laundry room (semi-finished room in the basement directly below our bedroom). In the summer, that would be excellent, like you pointed out. BUt in the winter that's no bueno since my wife prefers 800 blankets already. Any idea what the temperature of the discharge air is if you have a 50 degF space?

50 degrees is borderline for making hot water, 45 is the cutoff. It will certainly be below 50.

 

[dxmnkd316]

50 degrees is borderline for making hot water, 45 is the cutoff. It will certainly be below 50.

Usually the room is a hell of a lot warmer (65+). I'd have to open the air register in there and it'd kick heat in.

 

[walrus]

Usually the room is a hell of a lot warmer (65+). I'd have to open the air register in there and it'd kick heat in.

Thats a trade off, not sure its worth it to do that? You can switch to straight resistance mode and heat water like a regular electric water heater. In Maine they work as a lot of people use their oil boiler to heat water. In the summer thats a waste and even a regular electric water heater will save you money over running a oil boiler in the summer. If you run a dehumidifier in the summer its possible a heat pump water heater may make sense also?

 

[dxmnkd316]

Yeah we usually run a dehumidifier in that room anyways since it's where the house's outside makeup air duct comes in.

i think I really need to run the numbers. Our existing water heater is ~10-15 and isn't holding temp like it should (we run the dishwasher overnight to make sure it draws down the water so the water heater kicks in.)

 

[SonofSouthie]

This is a story about a curious seal, a wayward robot, and a gigantic climate change disaster that may be waiting to happen.

Scientists tagged a southern elephant seal on the island of Kerguelen, an extraordinarily remote spot in the far southern Indian Ocean, in 2011. The seal was a male close to 11 feet long weighing nearly 1,800 pounds, and they fitted his head with an ocean sensor, a device that these massive seals barely notice but that have proved vital to scientific research.

Elephant seals like this one swim more than 1,500 miles south from Kerguelen to Antarctica, where they often forage on the sea floor, diving to depths that can exceed a mile below the surface. As summer in the Southern Hemisphere peaked, the seal made a standard Antarctic journey, but then went in an unusual direction.

In March 2011, he appeared just offshore from a vast oceanfront glacier called Denman, where elephant seals are not generally known to go. He dove into a deep trough in the ocean bed, roughly half a mile below the surface. And that is when something striking happened: He provided an early bit of evidence that Denman Glacier could be a major threat to global coastlines.

https://www.boston.com/news/environ...-signs-potential-climate-disaster-antarctica/

 

[Kepler]

https://www.boston.com/news/environm...er-antarctica/

Um...

Researchers had already observed that the glacier was losing some of its mass, which is a worrying sign. They also knew something else: Denman serves as a potential doorway into a region of extremely deep and thick ice, even for Antarctica.

With Denman and several other neighboring glaciers in place, the doorway remains closed. Opening it would allow warmer ocean water to start eating away at this thick ice, leading to gradual melt and eventually, a massive influx of new water into the ocean. That would have the potential to unleash over 15 feet of sea level rise, remaking every coastline in the world.

Here is New York City with a 6 meter (18 foot) rise:

Florida:

Manila:

Vancouver:

 

[dxmnkd316]

Seems like an improvement to me

 

[Deutsche Gopher Fan]

Would be a good intro to our new reality for many.

 

[FadeToBlack&Gold]

I'm only disappointed that it's apparently not enough to drown Orlando.

 

[dxmnkd316]

I'm only disappointed that it's apparently not enough to drown Orlando.

Eh. We'll take 'em where we can get 'em