OT- Thermostat for heat pump... What is Supl. ht.?
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Heat pumps lose efficiency as the outdoor temperature falls. In affect, they're pumping heat 'up hill' and can only pump it so high.
At some point the air it's blowing from the ducts is not warm enough to heat the house. The heat pump gives up and the system switches over to Supplemental Heat. That is either a furnace or electric resistance heat.
During cold weather, the house can be at the temperature you set, but you still feel cold. That's because the air coming out of the ducts isn't very hot, so your body feels cold drafts. Raising the Supplemental Heat setting will cure that, if you can afford it.
At some point the air it's blowing from the ducts is not warm enough to heat the house. The heat pump gives up and the system switches over to Supplemental Heat. That is either a furnace or electric resistance heat.
During cold weather, the house can be at the temperature you set, but you still feel cold. That's because the air coming out of the ducts isn't very hot, so your body feels cold drafts. Raising the Supplemental Heat setting will cure that, if you can afford it.
Yes, the sup. heat is like a small electric heater. Really jacks your electric bill up. We had one in Ga. The reversing(shifting?) valve stuck and it couldn't act like an air conditioner to melt the ice off the outside of the unit and the whole thing froze up. How do you melt the ice off the whole thing in the middle of winter? Never is a long time but it will take a very cold day in he77 before I buy a house with one of those thangs! Some new construction of bigger homes had 2 and 3 pumps just to keep the place luke warm. Ya gotta be nutzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
G
Guest
·Re: OT- Thermostat for heat pump... What is Supl.
Re: OT- Thermostat for heat pump... What is Supl.
Better yet, if you need the heating AND cooling capablities of a heat pump, go with a geothermal heat pump. Properly sized they will provide all the heat you need for a home. Plus they are more efficient than air-to-air heat pumps. The concern about feeling cold is true. They move air at 85 to 110 degrees where electric or gas furnace is probably around 140 degrees. Fast moving air creates a wind chill, so to prevent that in properly built heat pump homes, ductwork and registers are oversized and air velocity is decreased. The same or greater volume of air moves, just at a lot slower speed. At that point, heat pumps are very comfortable, and inexpensive to run.
Better yet, if you need the heating AND cooling capablities of a heat pump, go with a geothermal heat pump. Properly sized they will provide all the heat you need for a home. Plus they are more efficient than air-to-air heat pumps. The concern about feeling cold is true. They move air at 85 to 110 degrees where electric or gas furnace is probably around 140 degrees. Fast moving air creates a wind chill, so to prevent that in properly built heat pump homes, ductwork and registers are oversized and air velocity is decreased. The same or greater volume of air moves, just at a lot slower speed. At that point, heat pumps are very comfortable, and inexpensive to run.
G
Guest
·Re: OT- Thermostat for heat pump... What is Supl.
I just replaced a 10 year old heat pump. Junked the Trane for a Carrier. Big difference. No cold air. Multi speed fan comes on after air is warm. Aux. heat is a bank of electic coils that only come on when temp. is 2 degrees lower than thermostat is set. We are under snow and ice here in Va. and it is working better than the old one ever did. 90yj 03tj
I just replaced a 10 year old heat pump. Junked the Trane for a Carrier. Big difference. No cold air. Multi speed fan comes on after air is warm. Aux. heat is a bank of electic coils that only come on when temp. is 2 degrees lower than thermostat is set. We are under snow and ice here in Va. and it is working better than the old one ever did. 90yj 03tj
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