Frequently Asked Questions
If you have a question that is not listed below, please contact us and we will get an answer for you.
Our Reclaim Tank is a “stratified” tank which means that different layers of water are separated based on their temperature naturally. The hot and cold regions are especially separated by a region called “Thermocline”, naturally due to cold and hot water density difference, whereby hot water travels up and cold-water travels down. Our Reclaim Controller shows the tank temperature at 65°C – 70% level on the tank (i.e., bottom of the tank). This means that only up to the sensor level is heated up. Where the sensor is, the temperature can drop quickly, as the cold and hot region can get mixed quickly with small amount of hot water used. Even if there is no hot water usage, the tank temperature at sensor level can drop quickly due to heat loss from cold to hot region.
Our Reclaim Heat Pump supplies water at the top of the tank at 63°C water, delivers hot water to the tempering valve/taps from the same level. As such, the tank bottom temperature does not represent the delivery temperature. The difference between the tank bottom sensor temperature and top of the tank temperature is appx 10°C (i.e. 37°C at bottom tank temperature means top tank temperature is appx 47°C).
The residential unit is designed for domestic hot water applications. Reclaim Energy does not recommend any applications, or installations, other than what is specified in the product manual.
Reclaim Energy does not offer this for a couple of reasons. Firstly, rebates are only available for standalone heat pump water heaters. And secondly, the Reclaim Energy operational temperature is stable at 63°C, while solar thermal operational temperature fluctuates between 30-90°C, depending on the availability of solar energy. These two techniques can work against each other and one system can affect the thermal energy produced from another. The Reclaim Heat Pump can heat up a 315L tank in less than 3 hours, while solar thermal systems can take a full day. Combining two technologies can achieve a small return on energy savings, but requires a special tank and controller made for this purpose, which Reclaim Energy does not offer, or recommend, at this stage.
Yes. The Smart controller of the Reclaim Energy CO2 Heat Pump Hot Water System allows you to customise your hot water management to optimise your PV energy production. It has a preset option for PV systems where the system will receive power from the time of day that the PV system is producing power. 10am for a period of 6 hours, or until System has reached 60oC. The PV system creates power and feeds the CO2 Heat Pump to heat the water for free, instead of going back into the grid.
Yes. For efficient processing of warranty claims, should they arise, please register your warranty here.
Please contact the Reclaim Energy dealer or installer from where you purchased your unit. If you are unable to reach the dealer or installer, then please call Reclaim Energy on 1300 383 815.
Yes it is. In high chloride water supply areas, the water can corrode some parts of the heat pump and tank, causing them to fail. Where the chloride level exceeds 200mg/litre, any warranty does not apply to the heat pump and tank units.
pH is a measure of whether water is alkaline or acid. In an acidic water supply, water can attack parts of the heat pump and tank, causing them to fail. No warranty applies to the heat pump and tank units where the pH is less than 6.5 or more than 8.5.
Water supplied from a rainwater tank in a metropolitan area is likely to be corrosive due to the presence of atmospheric contaminants in the water. Water with a pH of less than 6.5 can be treated to raise the pH. It is recommended that an analysis of water from a rainwater tank be conducted before connecting this type of water supply to a Reclaim Energy CO2 Heat Pump Hot Water System.
The purchase and installation of a Reclaim Energy CO2 Heat Pump Hot Water System entitles you to Small-scale Technology Certificates (STCs) – formerly known as Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs). An STC is the equivalent of one megawatt hour of renewable energy generation. The Reclaim Energy CO2 Heat Pump Hot Water System attracts a large number of STCs that can be traded for a cash rebate. Eligible households can claim both Federal and State rebates.
For more information visit www.environment.gov.au/climate-change and www.rec-registry.gov.au.
Yes. The Smart Controller has 5 presets that allow you to customise your hot water management at the touch of a button. This can be used to set the CO2 Heat Pump to operate on the cheapest tariffs to ensure the household energy budget is controlled.
Smart Controller Options:
Option 1 – a default mode that runs the system 24/7, turning on and off through the thermostat.
Option 2 – Off Peak 1 Mode commences at 2200 hours (10pm) and remains active for 9 hours.
Option 3 – Off Peak 2 Mode commences at 2400 hours (12 am) and remains active for 6 hours.
Option 4 – a preset mode for customers with PV systems. The system will receive power from the time of day that the PV system is producing power. 10am for a period of 5 hours, or until System has reached 60°C. The PV system creates power and feeds the CO2 Heat Pump to heat the water for free, instead of going back into the grid.
Option 5 – allows the setting of boosting times based on custom requirements.
Option 6 – allows the setting of boosting times based on custom requirements.
Option 7 – One Shot Boost allows a ‘Remote’ option for our Wi-Fi Controllers.
No, the Reclaim Energy CO2 Heat Pump Hot Water System does not require an electric booster element
The Reclaim Energy CO2 Heat Pump Hot Water System will operate effectively between -10ºC and 43ºC, without the need for an electric backup/booster element. It is also fitted with an inbuilt freeze protection, making it suitable for all Australian conditions and climate variations.
The Reclaim Energy CO2 Heat Pump Hot Water System is sold and distributed by the Reclaim Energy Dealer network. For your local Reclaim Energy Dealer/Installer, please use Find a Dealer locator or contact Reclaim Energy.
The CO2 Heat Pump is rated at 37dB, measured at 1m distance from the unit, which is whisper quiet, practically silent. LISTEN NOW >
Quality assurance and verification based on Japanese Industrial JIS C 9220 standard testing and performance for heat pump hot water heaters. Variances outside this rating may occur due to background noise, measurement conditions and accuracy of device used. Installation location, mounting legs and clearance positioning may also affect noise level, if outside Reclaim Install Manual guidelines along with water inlet, ambient temperature and number of bends in pipework.
CO2 has far less environmental impact, that is no ozone layer depletion and minimal global warming, when compared to other commonly used refrigerants. It has excellent thermodynamic ability, allowing much higher efficiency in the system, with more heat being transferred to the water, for less energy used.
The residential 6 kW CO2 heat pump unit be combined with different size storage tank. The storage tank size includes 160L, 250 L, 315 L, and 400 L. There is a Stainless Steel storage tank – available in two variations – Tall and Squat, suitable for all non-high mineral, or bore water applications; or a Glass Lined Enamel tank, suitable for all water types, including high mineral and bore water. SEE: RESIDENTIAL PRODUCTS >
For commercial use Reclaim Energy offers the high efficiency 25 kW Q-TON Commercial Heat Pump, an air-to-water heat pump that uses CO2 gas as a refrigerant and can be used in a variety of applications for the supply of sanitary hot water. The Q-TON Commercial Heat Pump meets the demand for medium to large sanitary hot water generation that involves low electricity consumption and a high level of environmental friendliness.
The Reclaim Energy CO2 Heat Pump Hot Water System operates like a refrigerator in reverse. It contains a fan that forces air through an evaporator that contains a refrigerant. The heat in the air passes through the evaporator and is absorbed by a natural refrigerant, CO2. The warm gaseous refrigerant is circulated in the system via a compressor. As it passes through the compressor, its pressure rises, as does its temperature. This hot refrigerant then passes through a heat exchanger to heat the water, which is finally pumped to the storage tank.
SEE: PRODUCTS >
Not only does a Reclaim Energy CO2 Heat Pump Hot Water System help save on energy costs, it also offers the following benefits:
- Easy to install
- Glass Lined Enamel and Stainless Steel tank options
- Top down Heat Pump return heating for quick water recovery (i.e. ~ 110 L/hr hot water delivery)
- CO2 refrigerant ideally suited to excel in cold weather conditions
- CO2 refrigerant naturally environmentally friendly
- High coefficient of performance (COP) creating high energy from low energy input
- Quietest system on the market with an average noise level of 37dB
- One shot boost function for continuous hot water
- Designed to use excess PV generation rather than exporting it to the grid
- Smart Controller allows control over energy costs and consumption
- STC and VEEC rebate approved
- Outstanding cold weather performance
Yes, the Reclaim Energy CO2 Heat Pump Hot Water System is very energy efficient. It uses only 20% of the energy required by an electric storage hot water system, saving up to 80% compared to conventional electric hot water energy costs.
My neighbor has a Reclaim Hot Water Heat Pump and I was pretty happy with what the savings he got from off his energy bill as it’s over halved, here in Queensland it’s ideal to have one aswell as it’s a good fit down the side of the house. Peter
It was time to upgrade our hot water system due to it was 8 years old and we didn’t want to go through another winter worrying if it would break down so our plumber recommended a Reclaim Energy Hot Water Heat Pump due to it will save us money and the government rebate is fantastic, we are very happy with the system.
Great thermal output, whisper quiet and it saves us money!
We are a family of 5, so you can imagine how massive our ultility bills can get up to – now I don’t worry so much when the electricity bill comes through.
The Reclaim CO2 heat pump is awesome – thanks to the Australians that designed it!
I did my research and found that the Reclaim Hot Water Heat Pump is the way to go due to the features the controller has and how energy efficient the heat pump is and after I worked out the savings this is the system I need to save me on my hot water bills.
I live in a Melbourne inner suburb and found it’s only 37db which is so quiet and changing from gas is the best thing I have done.
We picked this heat pump to replace an aging; and expensive to run, LPG HWS. It’s amazing how much and how fast this unit puts hot water out, we have big spa baths in a 4 person household and have never had the unit go cold (which a similar sized LPG system would often do). The heat exchanger & fan are ridiculously quiet, it’s installed right outside a bedroom and you can’t hear it with the windows open. If only we could direct that cool air coming off it into a room in the summer
The Reclaim was installed 6 months ago to replace an existing Edwards Solar system (very old). It will be connected to PV when they are installed. Whisper quiet running, quick heat recharge and no complaints from the two users.
The demand for hot water is good we have not run out of hot water since we have had the system installed and there is at least for to five people showering every day and not short showers either as far as heat goes the people that installed the system set the meter
We’ve had ours for a few weeks and love it! The water is hot, it doesn’t take long to heat up, there’s plenty of it and the fan is quiet.