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That’s quite a statement. But the track record of the ECONOTEK speaks for itself. Satisfied customers and consulting engineers involved are on file.

The cost of heating hot water will be reduced by 70% if electricity is the current energy source, and by up to 85% if the source is diesel-fired. The ECONOTEK is ideal for any situation where hot water (or hot fluid) is required at or below 60 degrees C – and it can be plugged into an existing system.

The Concept: Free energy from the air

Most water heaters use ordinary electric heaters or diesel oil, spending valuable power and energy, heating it to an acceptable temperature. This method is becoming more and more prohibitive as the cost of fuel and electricity soars. The ECONOTEK, on the other hand, uses the free heat in the air and transfers it to the water – efficiently and cheaply.

There’s nothing new about heat pumps. But never before has the technology of heat transfer been so effectively applied. The ECONOTEK is the first system that provides the end product – hot water – at the temperature the user requires, without additional input.

The ECONOTEK is a self-contained, compact unit and it can be plugged into any existing system with ease. There is no need for new tanks and new water feeds.

The ECONOTEK is sealed and trouble free. It is also fail-safe. It is equipped with automatic fault-finding light indicators, and in the unlikely event of a malfunction, the problem will show up instantly and clearly enabling even an unskilled person to rectify it by following a simple procedure.

The real challenge lies in individual application of Tekniheat’s systems. The system can extract heat energy from water or other fluids instead of air – opening the door to a whole range of industrial uses.

The by-product of the ECONOTEK system is cold air which may be used for air-conditioning purposes. This can be ducted to any area of choice.

The System and how it works The ECONOTEK is coupled directly across the inlet and outlet of the water storage vessel. The water connections to the unit are of a small diameter compared with the system pipes. The hot and cold water-pipe connections to the Econotek are 22,28,35, 42mm diameter for the models ET30,ET50,ET70,ET100-140. Three sensing probes are placed in the storage vessel. T1 is situated just above the cold water inlet, T2 just below the level of the standby heater (if applicable) and T3 is situated just above the level of the standby heater but not directly above the element itself (if applicable). These three thermostats control the whole system. When the water level at T2 is cold, the ECONOTEK pumps the cold water from the bottom of the storage vessel to the discharge line via its own circulating pump. This process continues until temperature T1 registers warm water. When this happens the ECONOTEK switches off automatically. In the unlikely event of a fault occurring, the ECONOTEK will automatically switch over to standby whether this be a diesel, gas or electric system. Thermostat T3 then takes over and controls the final temperature of the water storage vessel in the normal manner. The advantage of the ECONOTEK unit over earlier versions is that it can accept entering water at up to 50C before it’s self-protection takes over. This means that the unit can comfortably reheat the 40C return circulation water in the plant room back to 60C. This overcomes the previously expensive running cost of an auxiliary tank or in-line circulation heater to maintain system temperatures during low draw-off periods. The ECONOTEK is the ultra efficient version of its forerunners. TYPICAL SPECIFICATION Furnish and install where shown on the drawings, TEKNIHEAT type ECONOTEK air/water heat pumps or equal. 1.0 HEAT PUMPS 1.1 All switches, control lights and monitoring points shall be installed in one box in each machine. 1.2 The water temperature leaving the heat pump shall be constant and shall be controlled at 60C with a fluctuation tolerance of plus/minus 1C. The refrigerant shall be R22 and the maximum condensing temperature of the compressor shall not exceed 55 deg C. 1.3 Heat pumps shall be coupled in such a way that they shall not stop and start intermittently and shall not run for less than 30 min. at a time. 1.4 Each heat pump shall be fitted with automatic evaporator defrost controls which shall be demand controlled as opposed to time clock operation. 1.5 A manual reset head pressure control shall be fitted 1.6 Each heat pump shall be protected against loss of refrigerant and subsequent damage. 1.7 Each heat pump shall provide a 220V set of contacts in the event of any fault occurring internally. 1.8 Unit casings and drip trays shall be constructed in stainless steel. Condensers shall be constructed from copper or equal considering the operating conditions. Preference will be given to condensers which are performance guaranteed against scaling for 5 years. Where tube-in-tube condensers are offered, the water must flow in the inner tube and the hot gas in the annular space. HEAT PUMP CONSTRUCTION 1.9 Heat pumps are expected to operate down to 2C ambient temperatures. Ambient temperatures of up to 50C shall not adversely affect heat pump operation. 1.10 An external bulkhead alarm light shall be fitted and shall be operated from the heat pump as in (1.7). 1.11 Heat pump shall be of type ECONOTEK or equivalent. Preference shall be given to locally manufactured units where local companies can also supply expertise and competent service. 1.12 Only machines having a 60C hot water COP of at least 3.6 at 15WB ambient will be considered. GENERAL 2.0 Condensate pipes shall be suitably insulated so as not to allow moisture formation, plastic piping will be permissible. PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT FOR EQUIPMENT OFFERED 1.0 Preference will be given to those tenderers who already have a successful track record of locally-produced units running under local conditions.

WARRANTY

Tekniheat warrants this equipment to be free from defects in material and workmanship for a period of 12 months from plant commissioning or 15 months from date of shipment, whichever is the shorter period. Any units or parts proving defective within this period will be repaired or replaced at our option when returned to our factory transportation charges pre-paid. TEKNIHEAT will not be responsible for any installation or removal costs.