Hey guys, did the old rule of thumb to install a heat pump exterior unit up off the ground 18 inches change? I never see it done that way anymore.
As a newer guy I have never seen or heard of that. My guess would be it changed. I know it needs 12-18 away from a side wall and 60 over head clearance. Why would it need 18 off the ground? Snow? Maybe it’s a regional thibg
About every manufacturer will recommend in their user manual that their units be elevated above estimated average snowfall height. I have found most local authorities in my area do not know that heat pumps should be raised.
That means up on the roof in my area.:roll::shock:
Does that mean like this RTU
They should also be raised to allow defrost water to drain out of the bottom of the unit and not re-freeze
RTU stands for Roof Top Unit but they should change it to Raised Totally Useless according to the energy they consume.
Ron -
As a past factory service rep, as a licensed HVAC tech, and with degree in HVAC … I’ve never heard of a 18" off ground rule or even suggestion. The feet kits are still available but I’m gonna guess they’re 6"-8" max
I have never seen one over 6 inches off the ground and never heard of any 18 inch rule either but who knows we live in a small area of this big O world
Feet? They are still putting them on bricks around here.
I never pushed the issue of the 18 inch height although I would mention it to my clients to give them a better idea of what the unit was trying to accomplish. But I guess due to the greenhouse effect in my area the units will no longer be buried in the snow anyway. thanks for the input
We don’t get much snow here but we do occasionally get some high tides and storm surge. Beach front properties put theirs up on platforms most of the time. Those who don’t usually buy one every few years when a hurricane blows through.