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A Tacoma homeowner asked GreenBuildingAdvisor whether a proposed $39,550 air-to-water heat pump system could replace a nearly 20-year-old leaking gas boiler and provide both space heating and domestic hot water. The report contains the homeowner’s question and bid details, but no published expert response confirming the design or its suitability.
A Tacoma homeowner is weighing a $39,550 air-to-water heat pump installation to replace a nearly 20-year-old, slowly leaking gas boiler and provide both space heating and domestic hot water. The question, published by GreenBuildingAdvisor, describes a proposed system and asks whether its design and contractor plan are adequate; the source does not include an expert answer confirming that the equipment will meet the home’s needs, including heat pump water-heater options.
The homeowner describes a 1,750-square-foot house built in the 1950s, with what they call fairly good insulation, in Tacoma, Washington. The existing Triangle boiler serves staple-up hydronic heating in the main areas and radiators in four bedrooms. The household has two to three people, and the owner says the boiler is leaking and may not last long enough to comfortably wait a couple of years before replacing it.
The preferred bid names a SpacePak Solstice 3-ton CC32-40 variable-speed heat pump, described in the post as a high-efficiency unit using R-32, combined with a water-heating system. The quoted work totals $39,550 and includes removing the boiler, installing a buffer tank and pump, connecting insulated lines to an outdoor unit, electrical work, an expansion tank, water-line connections, system purging, commissioning, a permit and first-year maintenance. The stated warranty is 10 years for the compressor, five years for parts and one year for labor, while research into heat pump installation times highlights another consideration for homeowners planning a system replacement.
The homeowner says the current design uses 140-degree water at 20 degrees outdoors to maintain an indoor temperature of 68 degrees, as interest in heat pump systems also grows across Europe (European heat pump sales are on the rise). They also cite electricity costing $0.09 per unit and being hydro-generated, and say they want to move away from natural gas. The post asks whether the proposed equipment can supply both space heat and domestic hot water, whether another heat pump would be needed, and what details should be verified before accepting the bid.
Boiler Replacement Involves More Than Equipment
The case illustrates the practical stakes for a homeowner facing a failing boiler: a replacement decision may involve a large upfront quote, a change from gas to electric heating, and the question of whether existing hydronic emitters can deliver enough heat with the proposed system. The homeowner’s reported design-water temperature is a relevant detail to have assessed, but the post alone does not establish whether the quoted unit can meet that condition or what its operating performance would be.
The bid lists a range of installation tasks and warranties, but a price and equipment model do not by themselves show that a system is correctly sized or designed for a particular house. For this homeowner, the central unresolved issue is whether the proposed heat pump and hot-water arrangement can reliably serve both heating and domestic hot water under the home’s actual conditions. No savings estimate, performance calculation or comparison with the existing boiler is provided in the source.
air to water heat pump for home heating
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A Leaking Boiler and Hydronic System
The post concerns an existing hydronic heating system, which distributes heat through water rather than using ductwork as its main delivery method. Its described mix of staple-up tubing and bedroom radiators is specific to this home; the source does not provide detailed room-by-room heat-loss figures, emitter capacities or system drawings.
The homeowner says many local HVAC contractors and plumbers do not install air-to-water heat pumps, and reports uncertainty about both the proposed design and the contractor’s ability to make it work. That concern is part of the question, not independent evidence about local contractor availability. The source records a request for advice and a bid, rather than a completed installation or a verified technical review.
“I’d like to get off of natural gas … and would love air to water heat pump.”
— The homeowner, in the GreenBuildingAdvisor question
domestic hot water heat pump system
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System Capacity Has Not Been Verified
The supplied report does not establish whether the proposed 3-ton system is correctly sized, whether it can meet the home’s heating demand at the reported water temperature, or how it would prioritize space heating and domestic hot water. It also does not include a heat-loss calculation, equipment performance data for the relevant outdoor conditions, a detailed control design or an expert assessment of the existing emitters.
It is also unclear whether the homeowner accepted the bid, whether the installation went ahead, or what the final project cost and results were. The source gives no projected energy use, utility-bill comparison or confirmed operating savings. Its publication date is not stated in the supplied material.
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Verify the Design Before Signing
The immediate next step described by the post is a request for advice; no later decision or installation is reported. Before proceeding, the homeowner is seeking answers about the scope and the system’s ability to provide both space heat and domestic hot water. The source does not say whether the contractor supplied additional calculations or revised the proposal.
Any decision would depend on information not included in the post, including a documented assessment of the house’s heating load, the proposed equipment’s performance under the home’s design conditions, and how the buffer tank, water heating, controls and existing distribution system would work together. The homeowner’s stated concern about contractor experience also remains unresolved in the report.
air source heat pump for replacement boiler
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Key Questions
What is the homeowner considering?
Replacing a nearly 20-year-old, slowly leaking gas boiler with a quoted air-to-water heat pump system for a Tacoma home.
How much is the proposed installation?
The bid described in the GreenBuildingAdvisor post is $39,550. It lists equipment, removal of the existing boiler, installation work, a permit, commissioning and first-year maintenance.
Would the proposed system provide domestic hot water as well as space heating?
The bid is described as including domestic hot water, but the supplied report does not confirm that the system is suitable for both uses in this particular home. The homeowner asks for that confirmation.
Is the system confirmed to be properly sized?
No. The source includes the proposed 3-ton model and some details about the home and existing heating system, but it does not provide a heat-loss calculation or expert design review.
Has the homeowner installed the heat pump?
The source reports a question and a bid, not a completed project. It does not say whether the homeowner accepted the quote or what happened afterward.
Source: rss
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