SANCO2 Heat Pumps: A New Generation for The Electrification Era

If you’re familiar with SANCO2 heat pump water heaters already, you know about the many great benefits they bring to the field of domestic water heating. Highly efficient with COPs approaching 5, hot water provided at ambient temperatures down to -25F, and of course the namesake CO2 refrigerant which is the lowest polluting and safest refrigerant on the market.

SANCO2, previously made under the name of Sanden is now under the new flag of ECO2 Systems, and the new 4th generation of heat pumps is coming to market under that name. Worried about the changes? You shouldn’t be!

New Name But Same Warranty

ECO2 may be a new name, but the key players behind the scenes haven’t changed. This means if you have a previous generation product you don’t need to worry about any warranty changes, as ECO2 will continue to honor the warranty agreement and still offers the same great warranty and support on their new products.

Operational Improvements

The new line still uses the same tanks and piping as the previous Gen3 products, while offering improved efficiency and performance, and improvements to the installation and operation procedures.

With the new Gen4 heat pumps, SANCO2 systems can now reach COPs of >5.5, and the first hour delivery rates have been improved by an average of 5.3%. The increased COP means a lower Amp draw which results in less kWh used.

The Gen4 heat pumps now have a single delivered water temperature of 150F (which reduces to 145F above 67F ambient), rather than the previously adjustable temperature setting.  Additional performance gains are made as the heat pump off temperature has been increased to 126F, increasing the the volume of hot water stored in the tank.

Operational improvements aren’t the only new tricks. SANCO2 Gen4 Heat Pumps now feature a redesigned double wall refrigerant to water heat exchanger. This ensures total separation of refrigerant and potable water while still offering efficient heat exchange. The refrigerant piping now runs through 3 circuits to reduce water pressure drop, and is powered by a new rotary type compressor.

The evaporator coil has been redesigned to reduce fan motor power, and is sea coast coated to reduce corrosion from salty air in coastal climates. All of these improvements work together to offer you a more reliable package that delivers consistently hot water any time of the year.          

Continued Ease in Installation

Installation with the new GEN4 systems is just as easy as it ever was. The total piping length from the tank to the heat pump has been increased to 66ft, including 23ft vertical separation. These systems still utilize the same ½” water lines, and the fittings have moved back to brass with adaptors for NPT thread still provided. There is an additional air bleed/drain plug under the unit for bleeding air from the pump.

These new systems utilize the same tank temperature sensors, but the thermistor cable with 16ft of wire is now supplied loose for connections to terminals rather than being preconnected to the pump.

Improved Controller Operations

SANCO2 Gen4 pumps feature improved controller operations. The controller is the same as before but offers enhanced internal control patterns such as freeze protection, defrost, etc. Upon initial startup, there is now the option to set the internal clock, or it will default to 1200. For example, an automatic air bleed program is designed to run when the unit is powered down for more than five minutes (this can be disabled if wanted). There are now 208/230v-Ph power terminals for trace heat that are constantly powered and intended for use with the FG2-6L trace heat option.

The units the same dry contact for starting the heat pump, and offer remote error reporting via contact.

For the Northwest and California markets, CTA-2045 & JA-13 modules are in development and will be installed adjacent to the tank for control via dry contact. These modules will be backwards compatible so can be retrofitted to existing Gen3 units that have the Dry Contact connection and all Gen4 units.

To Learn More about SANCO2

Demand is high for these new pumps! If you haven’t ordered for your next project yet, be sure to give us a call and put an order in today. If you’re interested in learning more about SANCO2 Heat Pump Water Heaters, read our last blog post: SANCO2 101: The Fundamentals of Game-Changing Hot water.

Small Planet University Offers Two SANCO2 Courses.

“SANCO2 in a Combi-heating Application” is led by Kieran Lavelle and addresses using SANCO2 for both hot water and space heating. “Certification Course For SANCO2 Water Heating Plant Installers” is taught by Albert Rooks and is high-level overview of installing SANCO2 for multi-family and commercial applications.

Have Questions? Need Help with Your Order?

Small Planet Supply offers complimentary phone consultation appointments for SANCO2 systems. To schedule your appointment, use the button below.