For centuries water was sourced from the spring that runs near to this historic pub to supply water used for brewing beer and cider. Now it is used as a source of heat for an open loop GSHP, as well as supplying hot and cold water for domestic use.
The flow and temperature of the water from the spring is constant throughout the year and was monitored to ensure that it will be sufficient to support the flow rate required by the heat pump. An EA abstraction licence was granted that allows water to be pumped 45m from a chamber, through which water from the spring is diverted, through a Microflex heat main to a break tank inside the house. A Grundfos submersible pump mounted in this chamber and controlled by a dual float switch, maintains the level of water in the break tank.
We installed a 12kW NIBE S1155 heat pump connected to a plate heat exchanger in the plant room alongside a VPB S300 hot water storage cylinder. When the heat pump is in operation water from the break tank is pumped through the secondary side of the heat exchanger and returned at a point lower down the stream. Space heating is supplied to wall-mounted radiators via a 100L buffer tank mounted in the plant room.
The break tank is also used to supply hot and cold domestic service water via a mains booster pump and a UV filter.