A2W in a coastal location?

gooner99 · 27-02-2022 2:43pm #1

Anyone have or experience off A2W units installed in a coastal location. If so how long and how are they holding up?

Are there better alternatives. Geo seems a good alternative, but more expensive. Indoor pellet stove with back boiler might also be an option?

I'm 50m from the sea and everything gets corroded pretty quickly, even the window hardware like hinges. So nervous about installing an expensive outdoor unit.

Count Mondego · 28-02-2022 12:51am

I went with geothermal for this reason. I asked one vendor to me a picture of a unit that was by the coast and had been installed for around 4-5 years. The picture he sent me was from the day it was installed, which didn't inspire much confidence. You can also be sure that if the outdoor until fails in 7-8 years, the indoor unit won't be compatible with what replaces it.

Ubbquittious · 03-03-2022 11:18pm

Even if you are many miles inland they will eventually corrode. Don't listen to any salesman who tells you it's been blessed with special anti-corrosion pixie dust

the_amazing_raisin · 03-03-2022 11:35pm

I remember Daikin or Panasonic had some information about installing near the coast

Basically if it's on the side of the house facing the sea then saltwater spray can get blown into it, corroding the insides

The manual for whatever model it was said you needed to build a small wall something like 30cm in front of the unit to shield it from the wind

Borzoi · 03-03-2022 11:38pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118728665#Comment_118728665

Look up Blygold or Blue steel fin protection - science and engineering, what primitives call magic and pixie dust

3d4life · 04-03-2022 3:58pm

Most of the reputable manufacturers have harsh environment variants

This is an A2A outdoor unit on a boat that does trips to the antarctic, Lol.

monkeybutter · 04-03-2022 4:22pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118732040#Comment_118732040

thats a picture taken the day it was installed 🤣

buzz11 · 05-03-2022 9:06pm

A friend of mine who's an electrician told me about an outdoor unit that was enclosed in a timber box with louvred sides for ventilation - he said it was seriously corroded even with the protection of the box.

Most of these items are just powder coated and designed for dryer/more inland locations -- just look at any ordinary sky dish to see how quickly they rust.

babelfish1990 · 06-03-2022 12:24am

Ground source/Geothermal is a far superior technology. A2W is totally over-hyped and unsuitable for the Irish climate. Although ground-source is significantly more expensive, I would expect a lifetime of 20-25 years from a ground-source heat-pump installed indoors. You would be lucky to get 8-10 years before an outdoor A2W unit packs in due to Irish weather, particularly if you are near the sea. In the long run, ground source works out cheaper, and you still have an asset (ground-source collector) when the heat-pump is end-of-life. If you can afford the upfront capital cost you should opt for ground-source. Go horizontal if you have the space or vertical bore if your space is limited.

the_amazing_raisin · 06-03-2022 10:04am

I have to disagree with you on the A2W being unsuitable. We've one and it works very well and it considerably cheaper to run than gas or oil. It's 4 years old and not a sign of rust or corrosion on the inside, we're about 10km from the sea.

The system definitely needs to be sized properly and should be installed by a certified installer for that brand.

I guess that ground source is probably the better technology and more reliable in the long run. But frankly the upfront cost difference between them would pay for a replacement A2W unit, so it doesn't seem the best economics

Ground source isn't totally issue free, there's been a few posters here who have has issues with their systems, also seemed like poor design or installation. So the same advice goes that you need a qualified installer and designer

pod10 · 15-03-2022 12:11am

I live 30 meters from the sea the first unit A2W lasted two years had been treated with special coating usual crap the sales people tell you all rusted .The only advantage I had we had got it in writing that it was suitable for a costal location .Long story short they replaced the unit with a different model same brand seems to be better.I would not recommend putting an A2W unit by the sea don't believe the bull about the coating .

gooner99 · 15-03-2022 3:09pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118786170#Comment_118786170

Not so good. Do you mind me asking which brand the first and second ones were?

Do you have any pictures of how the unit was affected?

Glad you had it in writing and they sorted it out for you.

A2W in a coastal location?

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