Heat Pumps and Electric Heating - Had a Rheem 4 ton 14SEER Heat Pump installed a few Q's:
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Summiebee
10-28-08, 09:34 AM
We are new to the HP "life" So please forgive the novice questions. We have had nothing but a gas furnace before(and an 8 yo lennox AC unit). It seems like it runs a lot. The house is about 2800 SF and we opted for the heat pump to replace a 4 ton 8 yo AC unit that died on us this summer. We are on our first really cold day (35 degrees) he programmed it to have the 8 y.o. gas furnace kick in at 30 degrees. I have it set at 67 now degrees, we like it cooler at night so I had it at 65 to sleep. This morning I woke up and put it at 68 and after about 45mins it kicked the gas furnace on? Why did it do that? Did it just decide it could not get it at 68? I also noticed that today it seems like it has been pretty much on all day long. Is that normal? It does not bother me at all, it's really quiet compared to my old AC unit. I just think it's a machine does it need a rest? Plus it's also my precious AC in the summer and I am all about my AC and I see it as mainly being my AC unit since I have a gas furnace and I am in love with my AC. My husband sees it as out heating unit. I just want to make sure it last and I am COOL once it's 90 out! (Did I mention I am in love with the AC)
dac122
10-28-08, 12:57 PM
The first thing you must understand about your HP is that it does not produces as much heat (BTUs/hour) as your furance does. So it is normal for it to run longer to produce the same amount of heat. Your thermostat is setup to bring your gas furnace on if the HP cannot get to the set point after some time. So setting your tstat too far back overnight and asking for rapid recovery can cause the furnace to come on.
Yes, it is a machine and like most machines it is the state change that affects reliability. As my dad used to say 'running machinery doesn't break down'. So short cycling, on and off for your HP will more likely affect repairs and increase energy usage. Steady state is best.
Since you are first timers, did they warned you not to think you have a fire the first time the unit enters defrost?
Didn't catch that, did you say you're fond of A/C?
Yes, it is a machine and like most machines it is the state change that affects reliability. As my dad used to say 'running machinery doesn't break down'. So short cycling, on and off for your HP will more likely affect repairs and increase energy usage. Steady state is best.
Since you are first timers, did they warned you not to think you have a fire the first time the unit enters defrost?
Didn't catch that, did you say you're fond of A/C?
Summiebee
10-28-08, 04:49 PM
The first thing you must understand about your HP is that it does not produces as much heat (BTUs/hour) as your furance does. So it is normal for it to run longer to produce the same amount of heat. Your thermostat is setup to bring your gas furnace on if the HP cannot get to the set point after some time. So setting your tstat too far back overnight and asking for rapid recovery can cause the furnace to come on.
Yes, it is a machine and like most machines it is the state change that affects reliability. As my dad used to say 'running machinery doesn't break down'. So short cycling, on and off for your HP will more likely affect repairs and increase energy usage. Steady state is best.
Since you are first timers, did they warned you not to think you have a fire the first time the unit enters defrost?
Didn't catch that, did you say you're fond of A/C?
Well I was told it was different than a furnace as the heat was more gentle and not as warm as a gas furnace and that it would not be that more sudden burst of heat that a gas furnace produces it kind of seeps out and it not as hot but 68 degrees is 68 degrees when the job is done. I was kind of like whatever as long as the thing makes my house cold in the summertime here is your check put it IN the house right away PLEASE! H was like "Now how much will this save on my gas bill?" I could really be happy with it being 66 in here most of the time. I like it cold to sleep and we have a direct vent fireplace in the main great room area and I usually flip that on to take the chill off the main area of the house and when I go up to bed the upper level of the house is chiller and I LIKE IT! I hate being hot like that. I was just thinking, is it normal for this thing to run all day like this? Isn't it tired? I kind of wanted to go over and flip the gas furnace on just to let it have a breather! :D
The thermostat is another story. It is a honeywell touchscreen. I am sure it has another name that goes along with it. Visipro maybe Vision pro? I consider myself tech savvy. I have a fancy cellphone/smartphone. I can upload my ipod, I know my way around my computer darn well and heck, I'm still young(31)! This think is like diffusing a bomb! I mean I can set it up and down and such, but getting a schedule in that thing. I think I need a masters degree in programming! It has THREE manuals! Set, heat, cool, leave, wake, return...vacation???! Blech! I am like whatever. Up and down is going to have to work for now. :thumbup:
Yes, it is a machine and like most machines it is the state change that affects reliability. As my dad used to say 'running machinery doesn't break down'. So short cycling, on and off for your HP will more likely affect repairs and increase energy usage. Steady state is best.
Since you are first timers, did they warned you not to think you have a fire the first time the unit enters defrost?
Didn't catch that, did you say you're fond of A/C?
Well I was told it was different than a furnace as the heat was more gentle and not as warm as a gas furnace and that it would not be that more sudden burst of heat that a gas furnace produces it kind of seeps out and it not as hot but 68 degrees is 68 degrees when the job is done. I was kind of like whatever as long as the thing makes my house cold in the summertime here is your check put it IN the house right away PLEASE! H was like "Now how much will this save on my gas bill?" I could really be happy with it being 66 in here most of the time. I like it cold to sleep and we have a direct vent fireplace in the main great room area and I usually flip that on to take the chill off the main area of the house and when I go up to bed the upper level of the house is chiller and I LIKE IT! I hate being hot like that. I was just thinking, is it normal for this thing to run all day like this? Isn't it tired? I kind of wanted to go over and flip the gas furnace on just to let it have a breather! :D
The thermostat is another story. It is a honeywell touchscreen. I am sure it has another name that goes along with it. Visipro maybe Vision pro? I consider myself tech savvy. I have a fancy cellphone/smartphone. I can upload my ipod, I know my way around my computer darn well and heck, I'm still young(31)! This think is like diffusing a bomb! I mean I can set it up and down and such, but getting a schedule in that thing. I think I need a masters degree in programming! It has THREE manuals! Set, heat, cool, leave, wake, return...vacation???! Blech! I am like whatever. Up and down is going to have to work for now. :thumbup: