Why does the Sanden use CO2 as its working gas, what is the benefit?

• There is far less environmental impact (i.e. No ozone layer depletion and minimal global warming) than other commonly used refrigerants, should the system leak. 
   
• There is a much higher efficiency, thereby allowing more heat to be transferred to the water, for less energy used (i.e. Excellent  thermodynamic ability).

Isn't CO2 a greenhouse gas and therefor bad for the environment?

While it is true that Carbon Dioxide (CO₂) is a greenhouse gas it has a Global Warming Potential (GWP) of 1. Whereas refrigerant gases in other heat pumps can have GWP of over 10,000, which means if they leak to the atmosphere they contribute 10,000 times more to global warming compared with the refrigerant gases used in a Sanden Eco Plus. 

The table below shows the GWP for some common refrigerant gases (note: GWP must include a time interval over which the greenhouse gases act, in this case 100 years)

Our system utilizes less than 1 kg of R744 (CO²) as a refrigerant contained in a closed system at the factory.  The installer does not need to charge the heat pump on site.

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Yes,  for efficient processing of warranty claims, should they arise, please register your Sanden Eco® Plus heat pump hot water system here.

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Uploading Photos for Sanden Eco Heat Pump Quote

As heat pump hot water systems receive Government subsidies and rebates, Government authorities are requiring all photos are GEO-tagged to comply.

If you are unsure that your photos are GEO-tagged, we have a helpful Geo-tag guide on our website here -> https://pure-electric.com.au/resources/geo-tagging-helpful-guide

You can test if your photos are GEO-tagged by uploading photos to this website -> https://tool.geoimgr.com/

Please see below some photo tip examples for uploading photos to your Sanden Eco heat pump quote request.

Existing Hot Water System (Left)

Photo Tips: 2-3m to the left of the tank and up to the eaves

Existing Hot Water System (Right)

Photo Tips: 2-3m to the right of the tank and up to the eaves

Existing Hot Water System (Serial Number)

Photo Tips: Clear and readable

Switchboard

Photo Tips: Clear and readable so if you zoom in you can see the circuit breaker rating, enclosure flaps are open

Meterbox (Outline)

Photo Tips: Meterbox Door Open

Old Tank Details (Example filled in:)

If you have a renovation with a new hot water system location, please share a photo that confirms both hot and cold connections are presented:

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The unit is rated at 37dB (measured at one metre from the unit), which is almost silent. By comparison, a whisper is around 30dB and the sound of the inside of a Library is approximately 40dB.

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The Sanden Eco Plus hot heat pump hot water system is available in the following five sizes with our sizing guide below:

*SS = Stainless Steel // VE = Vitreous Enamel

The same Sanden Heat Pump condenser unit is used in combination with different tanks sizes. So which tank size you would like?

When considering tank sizes - we need to consider a few factors - number of people, number of bathrooms, the heat recovery rate.

If you're using an existing hot water system for comparison - here are some comments/thoughts:

If you have an existing gas storage hot water system (e.g. 130L / 170L) - these are much smaller in capacity but they will reheat several times a day. Therefore the Sanden tank size will be larger than an existing gas storage replacement with the Sanden re-heat typically only required once per day - a good opportunity to maximise rooftop solar PV production or to utilise an off peak tariff.

If you have an existing electric storage hot water system (e.g. 400L 3.6kW unit) - these electric storage 3.6kW units recover heat at a slower rate (60L/hr) compared to a Sanden heat pump (approx. 80L/hr). Therefore a 400L electric storage hot water system would equate to a 300L/315L Sanden system in this example.

Based on our years providing the Sanden Eco heat pump hot water system - here are our tank recommendations for different scenarios (SS - Stainless Steel // VE - Vitreous Enamel):

160L SS: Only recommended for 1 person bedsits. This tank size is rarely chosen and due to its small tank size must be run in Continuous only mode (no blockout timer can be set up).

250L SS: Typically 1-3 person household with 1 bathroom. Height just under 1.5m with tank diameter 621mm.

300L SS: The Tall Slim - the most popular and best recommended tank choice. Recommended for 2-6 people. Tank diameter 580mm and tank height just under 1.9m. If no height restrictions apply, this is the recommended tank for majority of situations and considered best value for money across the tank sizes.

315L SS: The largest tank size with an additional 15L delivered hot water (5% more) compared to the 300L Tall Slim tank. Tank diameter 621mm with tank height 1.74m - this is recommended if the 300L tall slim tank is too tall for your application.

315L VE: Tank diameter 638mm with tank height 1.63m with 315L delivered hot water. This VE tank is specified for poor water quality areas - you can identify if you are in a poor water quality area via the Sanden website -> https://www.sanden-hot-water.com.au/check-water-quality/

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The flashing red dot (LED) indicates the Sanden is currently in 'sleep mode', it is perfectly normal and nothing to worry about. 

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To answer the question why is my cold water valve (or ECV) on my Sanden leaking a lot what is causing this? A few elements to consider.

To protect your Sanden unit from excessive pressure there are three valves:

Valve 1. The pressure reduction valve (PRV) which is located on the water inlet to your home and is set to 500kPa. This valve is designed to keep the pressure out of any tap in your house below 500 kPa.
 

Valve 2.  The expansion control valve (ECV) which is located on the cold water inlet to your Sanden and is set to 600 kPa. This valve is designed to relieve cold water instead of hot water during the heating cycle (which increases pressure in the tank) which saves you money and protects the final valve, the PTR.

Valve 3.  The Pressure and temperature relief valve (PTR) which is located on the hot water outlet to the Sanden and is set to 700 kPa.  This valve is designed to release hot water from your tank if the pressure gets too high or the water heating cut-off fails to work.

One of the main reasons ECV valves leak water excessively (apart from wear and tear or malfunction) is excessive water pressure in the mains supply which is not properly being reduced by a PRV as it enters your house to at or below 500 kPa; in many areas the mains water pressure is 850 kPa + this is to ensure fire fighters have enough pressure to use their fire hoses properly in the event of a fire. 

Note: the Australian standard covering water pressure in the home (AS 3500.1:2018) mandates that water pressure in your home must be kept below 500 kPa as water pressure above 500 kPa  has the potential to damage valves, tap fittings, flexible hose fitting etc as the components are only rated to withstand pressures at or below 500 kPa. 

So if you notice that the expansion control valve (valve 2 discussed earlier) on your Sanden is leaking excessively chances are you have excessive water pressure at your house and your PRV (valve 1) is either not present or not working.

Either way you should get a plumber to check the water pressure in your house and make sure you have a functional PRV.  You can also buy a cheap pressure meter from a hardware shop if you want to check your household water pressure yourself:  Note your mains pressure is not constant it will change based on a number of factors including local water use, time of day, time of year or changes in your local area such as new housing being built etc.

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If you believe your Sanden Eco Heat Pump is not producing hot water, please try the following:

1. Unless there is water pouring (not dripping) out of the unit, do not turn the unit off and on until you've checked the clock / control panel for an error message (under our "Resources" section you can find the different error code pages to help you determine what an error code looks like). If water is pouring out then turn the unit off at the isolator and at the switchboard that circuit is attached to.
2. Pull the PTR Valve on the Tank - this confirms if there is hot water in the tank. If unsure about the water temperature use a thermometer. If water is cold goto (2) If there is 50C or so hot water in the tank then the problem is not the heat pump system) the problem is on the house side of the tank.  So the tempering valve needs to be checked for a blockage / choke, if it is installed upside down or if it has failed (they are consumable items with a lifespan of 5-6 years and they fail to safe when they fail meaning cold water).
3. Check the electricity supply - Confirm/check both (1) circuit breaker at the switchboard is ON + (2) Isolator at the HP unit is ON
4. If you see a little Red Dot in the bottom right corner, then the HP unit has power connected. For the older G2 model 2010-2016 the dot is on the controller hidden under the lid - you will need a screwdriver to remove the 4 screws from the each end of the lid.
5. Check if there are any Error Codes at the clock/computer control panel. If an error code is present, take note of the Error Code. Turn off the HP at the isolator (wait 1 minute) and turn on the HP again to see if the Error Code re-appears. The unit is functioning correctly if it blows cold air for more than 30minutes. NOTE: The unit takes about 7 minutes to start blowing cold air after power is applied.
6. If system is newly installed or new plumbing works have occurred on site confirm that the tempering safety valve (valve with orange/yellow cap) is installed the right way up with a H on the vertical barrel above the adjustable valve and a C below the adjustable valve. If the system is more than 5 years old please note these valves officially only have a minimum life span of 5 years and may need replacing.
7. Air bleed the system - Open the water drain plugs on the right hand side of the HP unit (one at a time for a good 3 minutes PER drain plug, ONE at a time). G4 units have an additional bleed port on the underside of the heat pump - please only turn this 180 degrees approx when opening it up - bleed this for 3 minutes also.  Re-set the HP unit at the Isolator.
8. Hard re-set the HP unit controller:
   1. Switch off power to the HP
   2. With power switched off press and hold down both “Up” and “Down” keys on the control panel simultaneously
   3. With the keys still pressed switch on power to the unit, the display will show “FClr” .... wait 10 seconds.
   4. To complete the reset cycle power to the unit off (wait 1 minute) and then on again.
   5. With power back on the time will be displayed (if required adjust to correct time) and the unit will run it's start up procedure.
   6. When switching power on again, the country setting "1.AU" may appear on the display. If for any reasons this setting remains on the display, simply press "Enter" and the Control Panel to confirm and HP will continue the start-up process.
9. Physical inspection of the HP
   1. Turn off the electrical isolator, to allow power to discharge, wait 5 minutes after the power is turned off
   2. Take the top panel off by unscrewing the 4x screws
   3. Check to see if any debris/foreign objects are the top of the unit
10. If an onsite plumber or electrician has a volt meter check for ~230VAC at the terminals on the side of the unit.
11. If you have an older G2 unit and E124 is displaying then the unit has been subject to either high grid voltages or has suffered a power spike. Adding a timer to the switchboard and keeping the unit powered off for more than 19 hours per day can clear the fault for each and every use. This is successful in 50% of cases however works better where it is done the first time the error is ever seen. Not where the unit has been turned on and off many times.
12. If you are getting E040 on an older G2 unit then you can clean the filter via the filter housing at the bottom of the unit adjacent the air bleed drain plugs. This may get you up and running again temporarily while you book a service. BOOK YOUR SERVICE OPTION HERE
13. For blockages in newer units a 3 way ball valve can be installed which allows the consumer to perform their own reverse flush of the system. This maintenance step is normally part of a 4 year service can then be done annually just before the air bleed is performed.

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If you have a Sanden Eco heat pump hot water system that is working but you find you're running out of hot water before your Sanden commences it's daily start up - this is most likely because you have a block out time period not suitable for your hot water load consumption.

Rectification is to change the Bllockout timer setting on your Sanden Eco heat pump (condenser unit) to either of the below Scenarios:

Most likely your current BO Timer is set up with a 5 hour period (e.g. "1611"- 11am to 4pm) - change this to either:

Scenario 1: Amend your Blockout Timer with a longer time period e.g. 0211

Keep the 'start' time of your Blockout Timer the same e.g. 11am to maximise rooftop solar PV production and change the 'end' time to e.g. 2am the next  morning.

Your BO time on the control panel should read "0211" in this scenario.

Scenario 2: Disable the Blockout Timer 

Find you're still running out of hot water? Disable the blockout timer.

Change the 'start' time of the Blockout Timer to "00" and change the 'end' time of the Blockout Timer to "00"

Your BO time on the control panel should read "0000" in this scenario.

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Getting access to block out timer mode

Note:  After installation only 'maintenance mode' should be used for block out changes.  There is another procedure on page 16 of the installation manual related to the block out timer this only applies when the unit is first installed. 

To set the block out timer for your Sanden unit you will need to access the 'clock control unit' (shown below in blue), to do this you will need to remove the four screws at the side of the top cover panel on your outdoor unit (shown below), which has a 10 mm lip around the entire unit, to access.

Once you have access to the clock control unit you can set the block out (BO) timer by following the steps below, this will allow you to set your block out hours.  

1 - Hold down "UP" and "DOWN" together - gets you to "HSE" mode

2 - Press "UP" - gets you to outlet water temp setting mode

3 - Press "UP" - gets you to BO mode

4 - Press "ENTER" - gets you to EDIT BO mode (then enter the hours accordingly).

For more information consult page (17-22) of your Sanden installation manual which can be found here. 

Setting the hours you want to block out

The block out time functions using four digits first two digits = off, second two digits = on so:

To set the timer to run between 12 midday (AEST) and 6 pm set the blackout timer to 1812, which means off at 6 pm (18 in 24 hr clock terms) and on at 12 pm. 

To set the black out timer to run off-peak you might choose 0722 which means on at 10 pm (in 24 hr notation) and off at 7 am. Ensure that the off-peak tariff supplies a minimum of 5 hours continuous power to the Sanden HPHW.

If in doubt don't hesitate to contact us at  info@pure-electric.com.au and we can guide you through the process 

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