Thanks, most ,likely I will go to Florida partly, my kids would be more able to visit me. It is also going to be warmer at night in winter months. It is not as far for me to move;I should have made the move last year, or the the year before.
Heat Pumps Are Garbage
- Thread starter Ktoyou
- Start date
Thanks, most ,likely I will go to Florida partly, my kids would be more able to visit me. It is also going to be warmer at night in winter months. It is not as far for me to move;I should have made the move last year, or the the year before.
WatchmanOnTheWall
Well-known member
My life's been hard so the sooner it ends the better, because heaven will be literally infinitely better. That said I happen to know when my death day will be (to within a week or two) so I know how long I've got which is helpful.
He's 8, I'm helping him with his homework right now.
You not not telling me you will determine your time of death? Maybe you need to reach out for help?
Ktoyou,
I haven't been posting because my health issues have been pretty bad lately, but I read this and couldn't help but reply.
I was a HVAC/R service technician for 20 years, and a very good heat pump technician. It was one of my specialties.
Depending on what kind of thermostat you have--digital or electro-mechanical--your thermostat issues may not be anything more than your thermostat being out of level, for the electro-mechanical tstats use a mercury switch attached to coiled bi-metal spring that expands and contracts with temperature changes, and that movement causes the mercury to move to either open or close the connection between two wires. And, if the thermostat is not exactly level the relationship between the thermostat setting and the temperature sensed will not be correct. Digital thermostats are not affected by being out of level.
I don't think whoever you called did you any favors, at least not according to what you have posted here. If the tech did not repair the leak this is an ongoing problem for you as the refrigerant will simply leak out again. Anyone who charges a system without locating and repairing the leak is not dealing with you fairly.
Also, going on the assumption that the leak, if a leak truly exists, was not repaired but the tech just added refrigerant, his skill level is suspect. That means there could be a number of issues at stake here that could cause your heat pump to not put out it's normal level of heat. The reversing valve, the valve that switches the flow of refrigerant between heating and cooling could be leaking so that the heat pump will not operate correctly in either cooling or heating as hot gas, i.e. hot refrigerant gas coming directly from the compressor, will be bypassing the route it needs to take to heat your house. Or, you could have a partially plugged coil in either the indoor coil or the outdoor coil. Or, you could have a compressor in which the valves are worn out so that the system becomes very ineffecient. There are a number of issues that will cause a major reduction in heat pump efficiency and all too often low-skilled techs will blame a leak not knowing where to look for the real underlying issue.
One thing you might try is to set your thermostat to the Em. Heat setting. This will cause the indoor fan to run only when the back up heat runs. It locks out the refrigeration system and keeps the system from blowing room air temperature which, due to the wind chill factor seems colder than it actually is, and will cause the electric heat to come on at the normal temperature setting, not 3-4 degrees colder than the normal setting.
The other thing to understand is that a heat pump heats by moving a high volume of warm air--approximately 30 degrees above room air temperature--so that under normal operation a heat pump will put out about 100-110 degree air in a 70 degree home. This "feels" cool because of the wind chill effect of moving air.
I would also advise you to NOT install a furnace larger than what is needed in your climate. Do this shortens the heat cycles so that your comfort is reduced because the furnace will constantly cycle off and on because of the extra heating capacity. That results in a very uneven temperature in your home. The temperature will rise quickly and then cool, rise quickly, then cool. Meaning that the temperature in your home will constantly be rising and falling. A correctly designed heating system will not do that. It tends to lesson the spikes of temperature increases and falls.
If you do move, and need the temperature to be around 80 rather than 70 talk to a reputable HVAC dealer and tell them you need it designed for an 80 degree indoor temperature, or whatever your needs are. Normal design is a 70 degree indoor temperature for heating and cooling. A good dealer will do that for you and can do it very easily with their system design software. If they don't have that, then I would stay clear of that dealer and find one that actually designs comfort systems for the home.
Lastly, it is not a very easy thing to find honest dealers and techs. Research anyone you call out either for design and installation or repair. See how many customer complaints there are about them. In 20 years of service work I found exactly 3 honest business owners in the HVAC and refrigeration field. They are very rare. There are undoubtedly more than I found in my working life in 3 states, but a consumer has to be extremely careful in selecting one for dishonesty seems to be the norm.
I haven't been posting because my health issues have been pretty bad lately, but I read this and couldn't help but reply.
I was a HVAC/R service technician for 20 years, and a very good heat pump technician. It was one of my specialties.
Depending on what kind of thermostat you have--digital or electro-mechanical--your thermostat issues may not be anything more than your thermostat being out of level, for the electro-mechanical tstats use a mercury switch attached to coiled bi-metal spring that expands and contracts with temperature changes, and that movement causes the mercury to move to either open or close the connection between two wires. And, if the thermostat is not exactly level the relationship between the thermostat setting and the temperature sensed will not be correct. Digital thermostats are not affected by being out of level.
I don't think whoever you called did you any favors, at least not according to what you have posted here. If the tech did not repair the leak this is an ongoing problem for you as the refrigerant will simply leak out again. Anyone who charges a system without locating and repairing the leak is not dealing with you fairly.
Also, going on the assumption that the leak, if a leak truly exists, was not repaired but the tech just added refrigerant, his skill level is suspect. That means there could be a number of issues at stake here that could cause your heat pump to not put out it's normal level of heat. The reversing valve, the valve that switches the flow of refrigerant between heating and cooling could be leaking so that the heat pump will not operate correctly in either cooling or heating as hot gas, i.e. hot refrigerant gas coming directly from the compressor, will be bypassing the route it needs to take to heat your house. Or, you could have a partially plugged coil in either the indoor coil or the outdoor coil. Or, you could have a compressor in which the valves are worn out so that the system becomes very ineffecient. There are a number of issues that will cause a major reduction in heat pump efficiency and all too often low-skilled techs will blame a leak not knowing where to look for the real underlying issue.
One thing you might try is to set your thermostat to the Em. Heat setting. This will cause the indoor fan to run only when the back up heat runs. It locks out the refrigeration system and keeps the system from blowing room air temperature which, due to the wind chill factor seems colder than it actually is, and will cause the electric heat to come on at the normal temperature setting, not 3-4 degrees colder than the normal setting.
The other thing to understand is that a heat pump heats by moving a high volume of warm air--approximately 30 degrees above room air temperature--so that under normal operation a heat pump will put out about 100-110 degree air in a 70 degree home. This "feels" cool because of the wind chill effect of moving air.
I would also advise you to NOT install a furnace larger than what is needed in your climate. Do this shortens the heat cycles so that your comfort is reduced because the furnace will constantly cycle off and on because of the extra heating capacity. That results in a very uneven temperature in your home. The temperature will rise quickly and then cool, rise quickly, then cool. Meaning that the temperature in your home will constantly be rising and falling. A correctly designed heating system will not do that. It tends to lesson the spikes of temperature increases and falls.
If you do move, and need the temperature to be around 80 rather than 70 talk to a reputable HVAC dealer and tell them you need it designed for an 80 degree indoor temperature, or whatever your needs are. Normal design is a 70 degree indoor temperature for heating and cooling. A good dealer will do that for you and can do it very easily with their system design software. If they don't have that, then I would stay clear of that dealer and find one that actually designs comfort systems for the home.
Lastly, it is not a very easy thing to find honest dealers and techs. Research anyone you call out either for design and installation or repair. See how many customer complaints there are about them. In 20 years of service work I found exactly 3 honest business owners in the HVAC and refrigeration field. They are very rare. There are undoubtedly more than I found in my working life in 3 states, but a consumer has to be extremely careful in selecting one for dishonesty seems to be the norm.
WatchmanOnTheWall
Well-known member
No, I already have determined that. Help! I'd love some what can you offer?
You really should talk to your local doctor and be honest, or if it cannot wait, go to the emergency room.
I cannot offer real help over the net, please call a friend and have him, or her assist you, if you need help getting to an ER.
WatchmanOnTheWall
Well-known member
:rotfl:
You are a bit wacky.
SaulToPaul 2
Well-known member
As we've had lows around 12 all this week, I'd like to reiterate the lack of effectiveness of heat pumps to keep up with the demand.
I don't think it's built for that unless you have the ground loop or Natural gas back up. The heat pump gathers heat from the outside and there is very little to gather. That electric coil back up is never going to keep up with 12 degrees.
Where do you live? If I know I can tell you what design temperature is for that area. My guess is that it is far above 12 degrees. It doesn't matter what type of heat source you have if the outdoor temperature is well below design temperature. Any system will struggle to keep up with the load when the heat loss of the house is greater than the btu output of the heat source.
SaulToPaul 2
Well-known member
The auxiliary heat warms nicely when the the electric coils kick on. Otherwise, I struggle to stay above 60.
I bought a space heater to help out this week.
It might be cheaper to get $1 bills and burn them.
SaulToPaul 2
Well-known member
:chuckle: