On May 1, 2021, GB/T39182-2020 "Installation Specification for Household and Similar Heat Pump Water Heaters" will be officially implemented. After this national standard is implemented, household heat pump water heater enterprises will have a standard to follow in product installation and will officially enter an era of standardized installation.
Installation accounts for 70%, and standardization is imperative.
"30% product, 70% installation." This "catchphrase" fully reflects the importance of installation to household heat pump water heaters. After leaving the factory, a household heat pump water heater can only be regarded as a semi-finished product; only through qualified installation can it become a truly qualified finished product. The quality of product installation directly affects the use effect, comfort, and convenience of household heat pump water heaters. Although the household heat pump water heater industry, which has developed for many years, has achieved growth in industrial scale, it has long been in the predicament of "no standard to follow" in such an important installation link.
To fill this standard gap, in March 2019, the Household Appliance Wiring and Installation Subcommittee of the National Technical Committee for Standardization of Household Electrical Appliances officially launched the formulation work of the national standard "Installation Specification for Household and Similar Heat Pump Water Heaters". After nearly one year of effort, the drafting working group formulated the "Installation Specification for Household and Similar Heat Pump Water Heaters (Draft for Approval)" and completed the standard approval on October 11, 2020, and officially released it to the public.
The formulation work of GB/T39182-2020 "Installation Specification for Household and Similar Heat Pump Water Heaters" received widespread attention and strong support from mainstream enterprises in the household heat pump water heater industry. In addition to China Household Electrical Appliances Research Institute, the member units of the drafting working group also included Qingdao Economic and Technological Development Zone Haier Water Heater Co., Ltd., Guangdong PHNIX Technology Co., Ltd., Gree Electric Appliances, Inc. of Zhuhai, Hefei Midea Heating & Ventilating Equipment Co., Ltd., A.O. Smith (China) Water Heater Co., Ltd., Zhejiang Zhengli Sheng'neng Technology Co., Ltd., Dongguan Gongxiang Energy Technology Co., Ltd., Hangzhou Kangquan Water Heater Co., Ltd., Zhejiang Zhongguang Electric Appliance Co., Ltd., Xi'an Qing'an Refrigeration Equipment Co., Ltd., Xiamen Shuaike Sanitary Ware Electric Appliance Co., Ltd., Zhejiang Yangfan Energy-saving Development Co., Ltd., and Guangdong Gaoermei Refrigeration Equipment Co., Ltd. This lineup not only covers Haier, Gree, and Midea, the top three in today's household heat pump water heater market, but also includes professional heat pump manufacturers such as PHNIX and Zhengli Sheng'neng; it can be said to gather the strength of the industry.
The "Installation Specification for Household and Similar Heat Pump Water Heaters" clearly specifies the classification, installation requirements, wiring requirements, inspection and acceptance, and other contents of household and similar heat pump water heater products, and applies to the installation, trial operation, and acceptance of household and similar heat pump water heaters that are motor-driven, use a vapor compression refrigeration cycle system, use air or water as a heat source, and aim to provide hot water. At the same time, heat pump water heaters with other heat sources or uses, as well as relocation installation, maintenance disassembly and assembly, etc. of household heat pump water heaters, may also refer to this standard for implementation. However, this standard does not apply to industrial heat pump water heaters.
This standard is an important supplement to China's household heat pump water heater standard system, can be used in coordination and supporting with other relevant standards, and further improves the technical standard requirements for the entire life cycle of household heat pump water heater products.
In line with the current state of industry development, comprehensively standardize installation.
Looking across the household heat pump unit market, product types are complex and diverse, mainly including split floor-standing, split wall-mounted, integrated floor-standing, and integrated wall-mounted. Diverse product types make installation operations in household heat pump water heaters face more complex scenarios in reality. Taking split household heat pump water heaters as an example, products can also be subdivided into indoor/outdoor type, indoor type, and outdoor type. Among them, for indoor/outdoor type split heat pumps, the main unit and water tank are independently installed and wired indoors and outdoors respectively; for indoor type split heat pumps, both the main unit and water tank are installed and wired indoors; for outdoor type split heat pumps, both the main unit and water tank are installed and wired outdoors.
In response to the current development status of the industry, GB/T39182-2020 "Installation Specification for Household and Similar Heat Pump Water Heaters" combines the actual installation effects of different types of products from multiple manufacturers in different installation scenarios, is based on existing technical solutions, and on the basis of referring to product development trends and listening to expert opinions, classifies and specifies installation scenarios with good installation effects and user experience. This standard clarifies the installation structures of indoor/outdoor type, indoor type, and outdoor type in the form of diagrams, and indicates the direction and position of water inlet/outlet pipes and refrigerant connection pipes. For installation accessories such as mounting brackets, fasteners, safety relief valves, electronic controllers, refrigerant connection pipes, water pipe connection pipes, etc., this standard also clearly puts forward corresponding requirements.
It is worth mentioning that the "Installation Specification for Household and Similar Heat Pump Water Heaters" quantitatively specifies the safety strength of the installation surface. This standard clearly stipulates that the installation surface of a household heat pump water heater should be firm and solid, have sufficient load-bearing strength, and its load-bearing strength should be not less than twice the mass of the machine actually carried and not less than 200 kg, and should fully consider the air inlet space, air outlet space, maintenance space, and other related requirements after the heat pump is installed, and the structure and material should fully comply with the relevant requirements of building codes.
In terms of electrical safety, this standard requires that the power supply voltage used by household heat pump water heaters should be a single-phase 220 V AC power supply within the range of 90% to 110% of the rated voltage value; the user's home should have a qualified power supply identical to the nameplate marking of the heat pump water heater to be installed, and the power cord wire gauge should meet the maximum current-carrying capacity for heat pump operation, with reliable grounding during installation and convenient installation. At the same time, household heat pump water heaters should be connected to the power supply through a leakage protection device, unless the water heater itself already includes leakage protection measures other than grounding protection. Household heat pump water heaters with a rated current exceeding 16 A should connect the flexible power cord to an air circuit breaker or similar device, unless the manufacturer's matching plug and socket are used. When the user's power supply has a socket, it should be a fixed socket with a ground wire and used independently, and its capacity should meet the maximum power requirement of the heat pump water heater.
In addition, the "Installation Specification for Household and Similar Heat Pump Water Heaters" also puts forward corresponding requirements for installers in the "Basic Requirements" section. Installers of household heat pump water heaters should have received professional training and obtained required qualifications such as electrician and work at height, and be equipped with personal safety and other safeguard facilities before they can engage in installation work.
Improve installation level and promote industry development.
As an important national standard that fills a gap, the "Installation Specification for Household and Similar Heat Pump Water Heaters" regulates the installation of household heat pump water heaters relatively systematically and comprehensively, has strong operability, and has strong guiding significance for the on-site installation operations of heat pump enterprises.
A person in charge of a heat pump enterprise told an "Electrical Appliances" reporter that the industry is very concerned about the implementation of the installation specification for household heat pump water heaters. First, because it will provide a reference standard for the installation of household heat pump water heaters and promote the standardization and normalization of product installation in the industry; second, because from the product level, standardized and normalized installation can better ensure the normal use of products, which can not only ensure the personal and property safety of users during use as well as energy conservation and environmental protection, safeguard the legitimate interests of users, but also help enterprises avoid losses caused by non-standard installation and promote the healthy development of the industry.
The "2020 China Air-source Heat Pump Industry Grassroots Survey Report" shows that in 2020, the market size of China's air-source heat pump water heaters decreased by 16.1% year on year. Among them, sales volume of household air-source heat pump water heaters decreased by 19% year on year. Household heat pump water heater enterprises are facing a relatively severe market test. Comprehensively improving product quality and installation service level will become an important direction for ensuring the healthy and orderly development of the industry in the future. The implementation of this standard at such a time node will help the industry standardize installation management, reduce the occurrence of poor product experience during user use, and improve the overall installation level of the industry; in the long run, the installation specification will certainly promote the sound development of the industry.
