Considering placing an LLVP over the first/second step of the stairs. What is the free measurement there?
The rest of the stairs have free height.
The rest of the stairs have free height.
There are no rules for it. You can use your common sense. The width measurement of the stairs and the height of the LLVP above the steps are critical. I have personally placed an LLVP in a similar way in an annex building to provide heat to both floors. A bit tricky but it works. However, it is a wide (about 1150 mm including stringers) and not particularly steep L-shaped staircase.
A bit unclear about the conditions, Yonna, it depends on the layout what is a sensible placement for a LLVP.
Ex: we have a fairly open layout with a staircase quite centrally located on the long side of the house next to the entrance door in the hallway, the staircase has open steps and is L-shaped. Here, it was perfect to place the LLVP at beam height where the staircase turns halfway up, against the outer wall so that it blows in principle freely diagonally downward through the staircase's open steps in heating mode - the warm air spreads very well in this way in most of the floor and some rises upwards through the stairwell to the upper floor as well.
The big advantage comes in the summer with cooling operation: here there happens to be a button on this old IVT Nordic Inverter (Sharp) that directs the horizontal wings up a bit so that the cold air is thrown up to the upper floor where most of the bedrooms are, over the top step of the staircase so to speak. So we've had it reasonably cool and comfortable on the upper floor in the evening/night, during the daytime you can run the cooling through the open steps so it's mainly the floor that is cooled. Not all LLVPs have this feature but it fit perfectly here. A super quiet ceiling fan on low speed helps push the cool air into the bedrooms on the upper floor so there's a bit of circulation.
I would have drawn a sketch, but maybe you can understand about how a good placement can be very beneficial and that the indoor unit can be placed so it's not in the way in a staircase.
Ex: we have a fairly open layout with a staircase quite centrally located on the long side of the house next to the entrance door in the hallway, the staircase has open steps and is L-shaped. Here, it was perfect to place the LLVP at beam height where the staircase turns halfway up, against the outer wall so that it blows in principle freely diagonally downward through the staircase's open steps in heating mode - the warm air spreads very well in this way in most of the floor and some rises upwards through the stairwell to the upper floor as well.
The big advantage comes in the summer with cooling operation: here there happens to be a button on this old IVT Nordic Inverter (Sharp) that directs the horizontal wings up a bit so that the cold air is thrown up to the upper floor where most of the bedrooms are, over the top step of the staircase so to speak. So we've had it reasonably cool and comfortable on the upper floor in the evening/night, during the daytime you can run the cooling through the open steps so it's mainly the floor that is cooled. Not all LLVPs have this feature but it fit perfectly here. A super quiet ceiling fan on low speed helps push the cool air into the bedrooms on the upper floor so there's a bit of circulation.
I would have drawn a sketch, but maybe you can understand about how a good placement can be very beneficial and that the indoor unit can be placed so it's not in the way in a staircase.
The staircase is straight and located in the middle of the house. The stairwell is open to the ridge except for the first two steps. The desire is—if it is possible—to provide only cooling to the upper floor/bedrooms during summer and only heating to the ground floor during winter. This is mainly the case when I am away during the winter, and the primary heat source is a small pellet stove in the living room, which is operated manually. I have delayed finding a solution all these years simply because I find an LLVP (air source heat pump) so unappealing and do not want to aesthetically ruin the rooms.
On summer days like now, it is unbearably hot on the upper floor with a 49-degree roof pitch facing south and also with a dark roof felt (if that makes a significant difference). The ground floor is very comfortable in the summer heat as the house is built with isoblocks. The pellet stove also heats the upper floor via the staircase.
So, staircase height and later choice of LLVP.
On summer days like now, it is unbearably hot on the upper floor with a 49-degree roof pitch facing south and also with a dark roof felt (if that makes a significant difference). The ground floor is very comfortable in the summer heat as the house is built with isoblocks. The pellet stove also heats the upper floor via the staircase.
So, staircase height and later choice of LLVP.