Rather than operating with a conventional carbon fuel boiler as the main energy source this appliance has been designed to operate with an air or ground source heat pump. However it still provides mains pressure hot water from an open vented thermal store via the highly efficient plate heat exchanger and enjoys all the other benefits outlined previously for the other Torrent ECO appliances.

The main difference when using a heat pump compared to a conventional boiler is the lower temperatures generated by the heat pump. This causes problems in conventional storage/ unvented cylinders with low storage temperatures. This can lead to health problems such as legionella and unacceptable hot water delivery temperatures, which are not helped by the further heat losses that occur due to the need for a primary heat exchanger/coil.

For these reasons it is necessary to constantly boost the hot water temperature using electricity to meet the Regulations regarding the quality and suitability of the hot water being delivered. With a Torrent ECO there are no health issues because the hot water is heated indirectly via the plate heat exchanger and the lack of a heat exchanger/coil for the heat pump means that the full output is delivered directly to the thermal store. Both of which ensure that less boost is required to achieve an acceptable hot water temperature at the tap.

In fact, the ease with which renewable energy systems, such as wood burning stoves, can be connected to a Torrent ECO thermal store means that these are often chosen to provide the boost rather than electricity. The standard configuration comes fitted with a wide range of tappings, but if not required, any of these can be removed, or optional extras added at the time of ordering.

The low temperatures delivered by the heat pump also mean that the radiators need to be sized to take account of this or an under floor heating system that operates at the temperatures that can be achieved by the heat pump should be used.

Technical Specification