From Skids to Droplets: How WaterDrop Systems is Redefining Central Heat Pump Water Heating

When it comes to electrifying domestic central heat pump water systems, few voices are as experienced as Albert Rooks of WaterDrop Systems. Fresh off the company’s first distributor tour featuring their modular Droplet systems, Albert sat down with us to talk about what sets Droplets apart, how contractors are responding, and what’s next for the future of grid-interactive water heating.

Even one of the neighborhood cats was curious to learn more about the WaterDrop Droplet

If you’ve ever wondered what happens when innovation meets practical field experience, this conversation offers a glimpse into a technology that’s reshaping how multifamily and commercial buildings think about hot water.

This was WaterDrop Systems’ first distributor trip focused on the Droplets. For those less familiar with your products, what’s the difference between a Droplet system and a full Skid?

A full Skid includes everything — the heat pumps, tanks, swing tank, controller, recirculation pump, expansion tanks — literally the entire system you’d normally install in a mechanical room.

A Droplet, on the other hand, separates out the “heat engine.” We mount the heat pumps on a rack so they can go outdoors, indoors, or even in a parking garage. Each Droplet is a collection of heat pumps working together to produce the desired amount of hot water, paired with a power supply and controller panel. It’s a modular, rack-mounted approach that offers much more flexibility.

What are the main considerations when choosing between a full Skid and Droplets?

One of the biggest factors is the building layout. Sometimes the building just isn’t designed to accommodate a full Skid — they’re large and built for outdoor placement. You really have to design the building around a Skid, whereas Droplets let you design the system around the building.

With Droplets, you can position the heat pump engines anywhere — say, on the fifth-floor roof — and put the tanks down in the mechanical room. That’s not something you can normally do with standalone SANCO₂ units. But with our cloud-connected pump option, we can make it work. It gives contractors tremendous flexibility to fit systems into the building’s form instead of the other way around.

How did contractors and specifiers respond to the Droplets during the trip?

San Francisco ASPE chapter members inspect the WaterDrop Droplet

Honestly, the reception was really good — even better than I expected. Contractors could see the practicality right away. Initially, some wondered why they’d buy a Droplet from us when they could technically piece something together themselves. But once they saw the full scope — the technology, reliability, and support that comes with it — it all clicked.

Were there any specific features that stood out to contractors or installers?

Yes, two things really stood out: reliability and the technology package behind the system.At first glance, the piping on a Droplet rack looks simple. But to make multiple heat pumps work together without triggering error codes, you need precise sequencing, components, and setup. It’s not as easy as it looks. When contractors realize how much experience and testing we’ve built into the package, they start to see the value.

The other thing that impressed them was how ready the system is. There’s nothing for them to design. They just select the right size, place the order, and it arrives 100% ready to go. If they were to build it themselves, they’d have to design, source, and assemble everything — a time-intensive process that doesn’t always make financial sense.

Can you elaborate on the technology side?

Sure. When a Droplet arrives, it’s a complete collection of heat pumps that are piped, wired, and controlled together. You just bolt it down, connect a few water lines, land a single power connection, and you’ve got a working heat engine.

Each Droplet is cloud-connected through an LTE router, so as soon as you power it up, it goes online. Our engineering team can see everything about the system in real time — startup behavior, performance data, any error codes — and even fine-tune the sequence of operations remotely.

Contractors really appreciated that. They’re used to doing startups blind, with no remote diagnostics or data capture. For us, having a full record of startup times, tank heat-up rates, and temperature probes takes the system to a whole new level. It’s truly next-generation equipment.

What questions or concerns do customers usually have when they first learn about CO₂ heat pump water heaters?

The main question is about long-term service and maintenance. With traditional refrigerants like R-32 or 410A, contractors are used to charging and maintaining systems. But CO₂ is a high-pressure refrigerant, and that can sound intimidating.

In reality, our systems use SANCO₂ heat pumps that are factory-charged and sealed — they’re non-serviceable. So, contractors don’t need to worry about adding refrigerant or handling high-pressure gas. The units are covered under warranty, and we just don’t see refrigeration cycle failures. It really takes that concern off the table.

How do Droplets and Skids help multifamily and commercial buildings meet energy-efficiency goals?

WaterDrop Skids and Droplets are simply the way forward. They’re efficient, modular, and adaptable — indoors or outdoors, hot climates or cold. They always deliver consistent 150°F hot water, and they use remarkably little power.

With their high COPs, low operating costs, and small footprint, they’re an easy choice for energy-conscious designers and owners.

This inaugural distributor trip was with Osborne Company. What does that partnership bring to the WaterDrop brand?

Osborne is fantastic to work with. They have deep technical knowledge and strong, trusted relationships throughout the industry. It’s rare to find a rep group that combines that level of professionalism with genuine enthusiasm for advancing new technology.

How did this trip shape your vision for WaterDrop’s next steps?

It really confirmed that our next evolution lies in continuing to advance the technology behind our operating system.

We already have the physical systems dialed in — we can lift cold water to hot, store it, and deliver it reliably. The next opportunity is to optimize how those systems interact with the grid. Water heating uses stored energy, so we can choose when to draw electricity to recharge storage.

That opens up huge potential for grid-interactive efficiency — aligning operation with renewable generation, demand response, and time-of-use rates. That’s where we’re heading, and it’s exciting.

What was the most rewarding moment for you on this trip?

Hearing from the owner of a large, experienced contracting firm that our technology genuinely impressed them. We work hard to build products that make a difference, and when professionals in the field validate that effort, it’s incredibly rewarding. It tells us we’re moving in the right direction.

At WaterDrop Systems, innovation doesn’t end when the equipment ships—it begins when it’s installed, monitored, and fine-tuned in the real world. As Albert shared, the future of water heating isn’t just about efficiency—it’s about connection: between systems, the grid, and the people who make it all work.

If a WaterDrop systems seems like solution for your hot water production needs, feel free to contact the WaterDrop systems team by phone or email.