iFLOW HVAC INC.
www.iflowhvac.com
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If your electric utility provider has ‘peak rate’ periods, the
homeowner can chose not to run the electric heat pump during
those specific peak periods, avoiding peak electricity rates. Those
are set at Mode 4/Parameters 14~17.
5) iFLOW Set up and Wiring of an iFLOW with a Heat Pump
Hot
Water
Source
Electric
Heat Pump
Source
When using an iFLOW with a Heat Pump, the iFLOW can toggle
heating sources between the refrigerant-based, electric heat pump
and the hot water-based system (a tankless or tank-type water
heater, a combi-boiler, or a boiler for example). The homeowner
gets the benefit of being able to select the most efficient and/or
the most economical system; unfortunately however, both sources
cannot run simultaneously.
So how does a homeowner decide which system to operate at
which time of the heating season? That is a more involved question
and beyond the scope of this document. What is fact however is
this: as the outdoor temperature drops, especially below freezing,
the heating capacity and the efficiency of heat pumps drop as well.
As such, iFLOW uses an outdoor temperature sensor to determine
the switchover point. The iFLOW outdoor temperature sensor is part
# 30OTS01A. Alternatively, if using an iFLOW Wi-Fi enabled unit,
the outdoor temperature can be sourced by geo-location.
To setup this functionality, the iFLOW needs to know the heating will
be supplied by 2 sources, the hot water-based system, and the heat
pump. iFLOW calls this ‘Hybrid Mode’. To set Hybrid mode, adjust
Mode 3, Parameter# 11 to ‘1’ (it is default set at ‘0’).
At Mode 3/Parameter 12, the homeowner sets the temperature at
which they wish to switchover (default is 40°F/0°C) from heat pump
to water-based heating. On a call for heat from the thermostat,
if the actual outdoor temperature is above the set switchover
temperature, iFLOW will operate the heat pump for heating. If
below, iFLOW will draw from the water-based heat source by calling
on the circulator for heating. Please reference the installation
manual on how to access these modes and parameters or see the
excerpt above.
Hot Water or
Heat Pump with
Automatic
Switching
iFLOW Hybrid
Heating Mode
Item
Display
Range
Default
Hybrid Mode
0=Diable,
1=Enable
0
0 : Hot Water Only (water heater, boiler or combi-boiler)
1: Hot Water + heat pump (Hybrid)
H/P Cut-Off Temp.
32 ~ 46°F
(0 ~ 8°C)
40
Set the lowest temperature at which you wish the heat pump
to operate (Balance Point Consideration: H/P COP and cost of
electricity at that temperature vs. gas efficiency and cost of gas).
Below that temperature, iFLOW will switch to the gas hot water
source.
Parameter Settings Mode
