This has happened to three different thermostats, so I know it's not the thermostat. We have a two-stage heat, one-stage cool heat pump that's about 11 years old. The outside unit says "Aire Flo" and the inside unit says "Intertherm". Never had to have it worked on. A/C works perfectly in the summer. When winter hits, we turn the temp up to, say, 74. Heat will kick on and when thermostat hits 74 it kicks off. About 5-10 minutes later, the fan will kick on again but it will blow cool air instead of warm. So it seems like it's running the "emergency heat" to get it up to temp, then the heat pump part kicks on and blows cool. I do not know for a fact that this is what it's actually doing. This is on the "heat" setting, not the "auto" setting where it could run heat and cool on the same day. HVAC guy said everything looks like it's running and wired properly, but something must be amiss. He was a little "green" and needless to say it's not fixed. Any suggestions?
Heat pumps defrost which is the AC mode, if the heat strip isnt working during a defrost, the air will be cold, A heat pump only feels warm if the heat strips are on too! the refrigeration cycles heat output is much less sensible to our 98F skin. heat pumps that satisfy a room setpoint are working at least, all heat pumps feel drafty to most.
We've been in the house 6 winters, including one where it snowed 3 times. This "cool" coming from the vents is totally different from the "warm" from the previous winters. The HVAC guy came out and said it's time for a new heat pump. A part that feeds the pressure to the reverse valve is dead. Now I need to know if it's possible (and less expensive) to replace a heat pump with a regular electrical unit.
The auxillary heat or 2nd stage heat strips are required to be on during defrosts, which is simply the AC mode, hence the cold drafty air, and the heat pump cannot run efficiently at 40F and below, at which it relys on the heat strip a 3 times more expensive option. Electric resistive heat is 100% efficient in converting 1 watt into btu's, 3.45 btu's per watt @ 100% efficiency.
A heat pump is actually approx 300% efficient, maning for the same amount of btu's the cost is about 1/3 the cost of electric resistive heating, the most expensive way to heat. Auxillary heat strips or emergency heat mode may be used, and plug in units for per room heating will save big money in the case you must use electric resistive heat.
We're going to try to get just the broken part fixed and hope it limps along this winter. Another HVAC company we know offers financing, so we'll probably do that next winter. I'd like to stick with a heat pump because of it's efficiency, like you said.
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SOURCE: Heater running continuously
Sounds like you have a problem with your heat pump. Your aux heat is a electric coil. how old is the unit when was the last time it was serviced? How cold is it out side?
SOURCE: have gas furnace and this winter,began having
The Thermostat Wizard is an interactive tool that will guide you through wiring and troubleshooting your thermostat, as well as programming it to the most comfortable settings for you and your family. Simply answer the questions from the Thermostat Wizard to correctly connect, troubleshoot and/or program your Honeywell Thermostat. You can even print the instructions and bring them right to the thermostat to help make things easier.
Go to: http://yourhome.honeywell.com/Consumer/Cultures/en-US/Support/Thermostat+Wizard/
However - the problem is probably not with your thermostat but with your furnace. It is most likely a dirty flame sensor - a maintenance issue. If you have not had your furnace serviced recently (more than 1 year) that is where you should start. Modern furnaces require regular maintenance.
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SOURCE: Buzzing sound when aux heat comes on
Sounds like it could be a effiency function to warn you that the heat elements are on. Check your thermostat manual and see if you can turn this feature off. If this is not a feature then the thermostat may be wired wrong or something in the circuit may be trying to short out.
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Scott: The unit is 11 years old and hasn't been serviced since we've lived here (6 years). After doing some research online, we think it might be the reverse valve not sliding as it should. Temp outside was in the 70's when HVAC guy came out; over the weekend it was in the 40's at night and 60's during the day (Texas).
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