heatpump

Hello,
I will keep updating the posting as it is very important for all of you that are or will be building or buying a new house.

It is the end of October and other than a fine issued by the council... nothing else has happened.

As far as I know, the owner is disputing with the builder who should be responsible for fixing the noisy unit. Obviously the unit needs to be replaced on different form of hot water system or moved away from the current area.

And here is the thing. At no time anyone is checking hot water system. Private certifier is not interested, council is only certifying its plumbing.
The OWNER is the one who is responsible for the unit.

So if you think you can trust the builder in his choice... forget it. Ask the questions and make sure that any appliance is either far away from neighbourhood windows or it is quiet appliance.

How to know it is quiet? Simple, make sure it is good brand not imported ******* crap.

What is the status. We have moved out from the bedroom and live in family room upstairs (which is a funky name for the space next to the stairs). The noisy unit is still there waiting to be moved or burned... whatever.

The owner has a problem, and now... he needs to cover all the cost as the builder is not in a hurry to rectify it. very 30 days concil will be issuing $300 fine and after few months it will end up in a court probably.

I bet he regrets the decision of saving money on cutting two dead trees and moving the house to the boundary... all because he could.

cheers
kate

Thanks for good word. I do believe that everyone has it's 5 minutes. Mine is just coming

Cheers
kate

Being cheap imported crap it should only last the warranty period right???

Might be shorter than a drawn out legal battle.

I just hope it doesn't get louder & louder as it reaches the death knell!

Unfortunately it does getting louder as now there is a family with 3 kids living there. We can here it therefore from our new "parents retreat".
Just hope it will end finally...

11/11/07 next 300$ fine will be issued.
Ialso hope it will break down sooner not later but I am scared that the owner will no go for anything more reliable. At the end of the day it is just the investment property and he does not want to spend ANY money on it.

cheers
kate

This is a real problem that even the better brands are worried about. Even if its a "cheap import" it is likely that its supplier/importer is a larger company in Australia and might be keen to resolve the issue (if) they think they might get some negative press about it. If you haven't already talked to the manufacturer/supplier/importer, you should! Most Suppliers/Importers of Heat-Pumps (now) also offer Sola-Hot-Water. I know that most Heat pump Suppliers are very conscious of having noise problems so you might just be lucky to have one that wants to sell their sola-hot-water instead of their heat-pumps, so they might help the builder out of trouble. They would likely consider this if they see potential in helping the builder in the future with his hot-water; the sola-hot-water market is very competitive and builders are 'cream' for most sola-hot-water companies, they go a long way to keep builders happy. Its a long shot but it might work.

Nice Post Mark - I'd suggest that the reason they are swapping to solar is because the heat pump is more cold a clime suited device - ie their solar sun energy is less - so the heat pump makes sense

Kate.
I know this might sound like a strange solution - but I'm a lateral thinker.

What if you offered to surround the said heat pump inside a sound box - Would that solve you're problem? Ie make it quiet for you and family?

How much would this cost you to do? Hmm not a lot ?

How much pleasure would this give you? Lots by the sound of it

Is it worth your peace and enjoyment to ring the owner - and say - hey - can I pay for you to build a sound box around that goddamn noisy heat pump of yours?

He only has to say yay or nay - and you solve the problem.

Otherwise - it sounds like you're going to just have top live with it till it breaks and he buys a new one - which may not be any quieter.

Steve

Thanks for that Mark.
cheers
kate

thanks for that but Mark has sent me very interesting comment on heat pump. Heat pump ARE NOT SUITABLE for warmer climate. As the refrigeration unit takes the HOT/WARM air from atmosphere and pumps it to the tank, the colder, the harder it works. During last winter it was working ALL NIGHT.

Yak Chat - the sound box is not a solution and can only destroy the fan.

The current status is that nothing happens. The owner disputes who is responsible: him, the buiolder or the importer.

We have in plan to do few things:
- push council to prosecute the owner and switch that bl.... thing OFF;
- go to the lawyer and think what we can do about it otherway;
- write to the obundsman if the council will not do anything.

At the end of the day, we poor people sleeping on the corridor CANNOT be responsible for someone's dispute. If the owner believes the buolder is responsible he can take him to the court later.

For those one who things and would like to suggest to wait and don't be to hard I would like to tell you that 25th November it will be a ONE YEAR I have been living with this noise. You would noit believe how the sleeples nights can affect your life and wellbeing.

For those who don't care and build on someone else head... I hope this will make you think 5 minutes and consider ther people living next door.

cheers
kate

PS Mark - Thank you co much once again for your comments. Most apprieciated.

Here's hoping for the new HW system - which should be solar, but they obviously have a very short term thinking landlord.

Good luck and very good advice - think of others when building or renovating.
Steve