Original message
| Ken
|  "Help I'm Cold"
, posted Fri 1 Feb 13:35  
I just had a mechanic out to check our heating system. He told us that our so called heatpump on the roof is unable to heat our space during ice rain and that we should install a duct heater. Does this make sence or is he trying to sell us something we don't need? He also said it freezes up faster in the rain, how does rain have any effect on heat ?
Thankyou
Ken
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Replies:
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| heezy
 | "Re(1):Help I'm Cold" , posted Mon 2 Feb 16:03
Ya, if its a heat pump you should have aux heat..ie electric heatstrips, so when its in defrost you dont freeze. But keep in mind heatpumps start losing efficiency around 35-40 deg F when you get below freezing your running your equipment 2-3 times longer than normal temps of 45-65 deg F. And with the addition of freezing rain on your outdoor coil, it could severly cause you too have no heat, except the aux heat strips if you have them. I know here in the NW when it starts dropping around 30 deg F, you lose about 1 deg inside the space for every deg below that. Heat pumps are not sized for that temp.
Rick
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| Xenos
Webmaster 
| "Re(1):Help I'm Cold" , posted Fri 1 Feb 20:18:
Freezing rain, I can assume the temperature is below zero. I have a hard time believing there is no additional backup heat in the unit. A heat pump removes heat from the air outside, yes the air may be below zero but it does store heat energy. But to run below freezing with no backup heat? You obviously have a very high quality heat pump or the mechanic is mistaken and you do already have a second source of heat that he has overlooked. If you are satisfied that there is no additional heat then yes go with his recommendation , if there is a doubt have it looked at by someone else.
Xenos.
The best way to escape a problem is to solve it.
[this message was edited by Xenos on Sat 28 Sep 17:02] |
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