Heat Pumps and Electric Heating - emergency lite question
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Partner
03-31-06, 08:39 AM
My Daughter has a York Heat pump in her townhouse that is 18 years old. She has lived there over 5 years and has very little trouble with it. It has the old (York)double mercury bulb thermostat. Twice in the last couple of weeks she has seen the emergency lite on it in the morning. (It only has the one light labeled EMG). Its in the mid fortys when it comes on and she has not touched the thermostat. I thought maybe it was the Aux heat coming on, so I put a thermometer on the outlet and turned the stat way up to make the aux heat strip come on. The temp started to go way up so I knew the aux heat had kicked in, but the lite did not come on. Isn't mid fortys too warm for it to go into defrost? and even if it does, would it turn on the emergency lite on the thermostat? I asked her the next time it happens, to look and tell me what the outside unit is doing. Its been over a week now and has not recurred.
Any and all ideas and/or comment are welcomed. Thanks
Any and all ideas and/or comment are welcomed. Thanks
DaVeBoy
03-31-06, 04:45 PM
Maybe it's me and I'm dense tonight, or something, but...
I don't get what you mean by "it's in the mid forties". In the house?, when she wakes up?
But then I don't follow what you mean about "defrost". Defrost? I have never heard about any defrost feature, or a need for such a thing. Could you explain this more?
You said that you turned it up and that proved the auxillary heat was working as the temp went way up. I'm not sure this proved anything. You may have simply reset the HP by moving the stat, and then it started running normal. Because then you say the light wasn't on. And if the light is *not* on, I believe that is a *good* thing.
I use to have to keep track of the goings on in a commercial building that had water to air heat pumps in it. LOTS of them. And they were controlled by the 2 mercury bulb thermostats, and also a light might come on. When the light came on, this meant the unit was not working. (Something as simple as a clogged filter could cause this) Yet, in the building I maintain now, that has 4 large 477,000 btu Lennox air handling units, and Honeywell stats...when the light comes on *these* stats, it means that the heat or cold *is* working.
I don't get what you mean by "it's in the mid forties". In the house?, when she wakes up?
But then I don't follow what you mean about "defrost". Defrost? I have never heard about any defrost feature, or a need for such a thing. Could you explain this more?
You said that you turned it up and that proved the auxillary heat was working as the temp went way up. I'm not sure this proved anything. You may have simply reset the HP by moving the stat, and then it started running normal. Because then you say the light wasn't on. And if the light is *not* on, I believe that is a *good* thing.
I use to have to keep track of the goings on in a commercial building that had water to air heat pumps in it. LOTS of them. And they were controlled by the 2 mercury bulb thermostats, and also a light might come on. When the light came on, this meant the unit was not working. (Something as simple as a clogged filter could cause this) Yet, in the building I maintain now, that has 4 large 477,000 btu Lennox air handling units, and Honeywell stats...when the light comes on *these* stats, it means that the heat or cold *is* working.
dougm
04-12-06, 09:43 AM
Partner, Sorry for my slow responce. I haven't had time to monitor this board lately and am surprised that more of our experts haven't replied.
On the older HP thermostats, the EMG light only comes on when the system switch is set to EMG. There should be no light when the system is using the heat strips to suppliment or during defrost. Some have a diagnostics system that activates the EMG light when there is a problem, which may be what's happening in your daughter's case. If so, the system may have a way to determine what type of problem it's detecting (usually the light flashes a code). I would call a tech out and have the system checked, but chances are the diagnostics system is what's not working correctly... for now. 18 years is a long time for a heat pump...
But then I don't follow what you mean about "defrost". Defrost? I have never heard about any defrost feature, or a need for such a thing. Could you explain this more?
DaVeBoy, You're scarin me...
Doug M.
On the older HP thermostats, the EMG light only comes on when the system switch is set to EMG. There should be no light when the system is using the heat strips to suppliment or during defrost. Some have a diagnostics system that activates the EMG light when there is a problem, which may be what's happening in your daughter's case. If so, the system may have a way to determine what type of problem it's detecting (usually the light flashes a code). I would call a tech out and have the system checked, but chances are the diagnostics system is what's not working correctly... for now. 18 years is a long time for a heat pump...
But then I don't follow what you mean about "defrost". Defrost? I have never heard about any defrost feature, or a need for such a thing. Could you explain this more?
DaVeBoy, You're scarin me...
Doug M.