Connecting heat pumps using the alpex system

Drinking water, heating, heat pump: With FRÄNKISCHE’s alpex installation systems, craftsmen can solve any connection situation from the energy generator to the radiator or radiant heating. alpex and turatec pipes and their accessories meet all the requirements for heat pumps to be professionally connected in new or existing buildings, inside and outside the building envelope.

More and more often, ambient heat from the air, groundwater or the ground is being used to heat houses efficiently and eco consciously using heat pumps. Combined with factors such as good insulation, modern windows and large-area radiators or radiant heating, homeowners can heat their rooms in a climate-friendly way and save energy costs. Heat pumps can be used in new buildings as well as in existing buildings and can be installed inside or outside the building, depending on the energy source.

After meeting all the prerequisites – selection of the proper heat source from renewable energies, consideration of special features of existing buildings, for example, and correct planning and design of the overall system – the next step is installation. This also includes checking any existing pipes and riser pipes for thermal insulation or ideal dimensioning or re-routing them if necessary.

Proven alpex system also for heat pumps

A tried and tested material for all kinds of building technology installations is FRÄNKISCHE’s proven, easy-to-assemble alpex and turatec multilayer composite pipe system. With the multilayer composite pipes, not only drinking water installations can be implemented, but also a wide variety of heat pumps and heating systems – whether regenerative, fossil or using solid fuel – can be connected without any restrictions. “The selection of the heat pump according to the heating load of the building and the correct dimensioning of the pipe system are particularly important for heat pumps to operate efficiently: Heat pumps work with a higher volume flow and require larger nominal diameters than other installations. In order to achieve lower pressure losses and better efficiency, our alpex L system for large dimensions is therefore often the solution of choice with this technology,” says Markus Körber, Piping Systems Product Manager in FRÄNKISCHE’s Building Technology Division.

Outdoor use for alpex and turatec multilayer composite pipes

At the secondary terminals, for the heating circuit within the building, both alpex F50 PROFI and alpex-duo XS for dimensions 16 to 32 mm and alpex L from 40 to 75 mm are suitable for connecting heat pumps that work with air, water or geothermal heat. If the heat pump is installed outdoors with connection pipes above ground, you must observe the following:

• The thermal insulation must be 200 % and must be vapour-tight,
• frost protection of the heat transfer medium must be guaranteed, and
• the building envelope must be protected/sealed against external influences again,
• pipes, fittings as well as insulation must be protected against UV radiation.

If the connection pipes are installed underground, you must use suitable pipes.