Pitfalls, new facade where the air source heat pump is located

[OTTO_75]

Hi

I wanted to check here before I start work on the new facade on the wall where the heat pump is located.

My thought is that I shouldn't have to disconnect the outdoor unit, just take it off the wall and place it on a stand next to it... and the pipes to the indoor unit can remain.
But, is there anything specific I need to know if I do that? Like, "don't tilt the outdoor unit or it will spontaneously combust and die..."

 

[KnockOnWood]

You should probably be careful when moving it, the copper pipes are likely quite sensitive.
So only move it as minimally as possible.
A tip is to place it on a stand afterwards, and not hang it on the wall.
This reduces resonance noise indoors from the outdoor unit's pump and fan.

 

[OTTO_75]

Thanks for the reply. Honestly, I hadn't really thought about it
But, how much can you approximately move the pump? I understand on one hand the question is like "how long is a piece of string", but at the same time, maybe someone out there has an idea based on experience and knowledge.

 

[KnockOnWood]

Thanks for your response. Honestly, I hadn't really thought about it. But, how much can one approximately move the pump? I understand on one hand the question is like "how long is a piece of string," but at the same time someone out there might have an idea based on experience and knowledge.

We imagine the indoor unit is above a door, about 2.5 m above the ground.
And the outdoor unit is with the top about 1 m above the ground.
So, there are 1.5 m of vertical pipes and surely at least 1 meter horizontally.
Moving the outdoor unit 0.5 meters shouldn't be a problem if you ensure the pipes aren't stretched and bent too much or risk kinking.
Annealed copper pipes are quite soft.
But be careful to avoid unnecessary pulling and jerking on the pipes!

 

[Lilllen]

Now, I'm absolutely no expert on this. The only experience I have is that I've installed two heat pumps. As previously mentioned, they had soft-annealed copper pipes. In the pump's instructions, it said not to bend the pipes more than once. I would say it depends on how long and how curved the pipes are to determine how far you can move them. If you have to bend back a strong curve, you probably shouldn't move it at all. To give an example, in my case, one of the pumps has pipes that are 1.5m long and go along the facade. At the top, there's a strong curve. At the bottom, I've just let the pipe form a gentle arc. If relocating, in that case, I would make sure not to bend the top part at all and ideally get the entire bend for the relocation during the straight section. In my case, I think it would be fine to move it at least half a meter, probably more.

Edit: now KnockOnWood beat me to some of the info