Heat Pump Blog MH
When we built an extension to our house in 2005, we wanted to heat it using an underfloor heating system connected to a ground-source heat pump. In the early 1970’s, I had seen details of a domestic heat pump that was manufactured in Denmark, and wondered why they had never caught on in the UK. By 2005, they were fairly common on the continent but I could still find only one UK manufacturer, Kensa Engineering in Cornwall. I found Kensa to be very helpful and supportive, and we subsequently installed their compact single compressor 6kW model with their underground ‘slinky’ pipes which were sized to match the extension’s heating demand.
The photograph shows the ‘slinkies’ being installed.
The extension was quite a complex structure which we needed to build in phases. We decided to install the underfloor heating system on a DIY-basis with our builders so that it could be done in phases without frequent visits from an external contractor. Continental UFH Limited provided the design and supplied the entire system for us to install using their detailed instruction sheets.
The heating system has worked very well and exceeded our expectations. We have only needed to replace some Danfoss room thermostats that have failed over that period – and there was a brief period in 2012 when the F315mA fuse in the Kensa control panel blew on a few occasions after we had installed a photovoltaic array. I contacted Kensa who instantly identified the cause of the problem and immediately sent me some more robust fuses. These were better than the fuses that I had bought online, and we have not had a problem since. The support from both Kensa Engineering and Continental UFH was exceptional throughout.
