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Old 01-13-2013, 04:57 PM
 
Location: Oro Valley AZ.
1,024 posts, read 2,747,759 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by themudpuppy View Post

My thermostat has an "emergency" heat setting I can manually switch to, but not a supplemental heat setting. I don't know if anything is connected to the emergency switch. I haven't tried it because I don't know anything about these units and kinda scared I'll mess something up if I use that switch.




.
That is probably the same thing as a "supplemental heat" setting. Having the unit on the roof does complicate getting the model #

No manuals left from the old homeowner? A lot of times the contractors will tape a plastic bag by the air handlers with manuals in the garage or wherever your air handlers are located.


.
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Old 01-13-2013, 05:14 PM
 
1,087 posts, read 3,517,484 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RickTucsonHomes View Post
That is probably the same thing as a "supplemental heat" setting. Having the unit on the roof does complicate getting the model #

No manuals left from the old homeowner? A lot of times the contractors will tape a plastic bag by the air handlers with manuals in the garage or wherever your air handlers are located.


.

They left manuals for all the other new appliances, but not the a/c unit. I don't think I have an air handler. Everything is on top of the roof in one unit. The only thing inside the house is the return vent, which is in the hall ceiling. There's nothing in the garage either.
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Old 01-13-2013, 05:17 PM
 
Location: In the hot spot!
3,941 posts, read 6,725,641 times
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In answer to your original question...NOOOOOOO! Just found out how the house was NOT energy efficient!
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Old 01-13-2013, 06:07 PM
 
Location: SW US
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tom4416 View Post
It's possible in a climate such as that in Tucson that heat pumps are installed without an emergency heat backup as those strips aren't actually in the outside unit, they are in the "furnace" inside the house as a separate unit.
both the heat pumps I've had here have been one piece outdoor units. The heat strip is in the unit.
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Old 01-13-2013, 06:15 PM
 
Location: SW US
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Quote:
Originally Posted by themudpuppy View Post
Yeah, the other night I felt cold air coming out of the vent and I thought the heat pump had broken down. A little while later it was blowing warmer again. When the heat pump turns off, I immediately hear another sound like it's turning back on and wondered if there was something wrong, but maybe that's the sound of the AC coming on.

My thermostat has an "emergency" heat setting I can manually switch to, but not a supplemental heat setting. I don't know if anything is connected to the emergency switch. I haven't tried it because I don't know anything about these units and kinda scared I'll mess something up if I use that switch.
If it has the Emergency Heat setting, then it has the heat strip or electric heating to boost the heat pump. My previous heat pump was a Rheim. it had that setting which I never used, but also whenever it went into defrost mode (often when it's really cold at night), the electric booster came on so it didn't blow cold air when it switched to the AC. I can't believe it would cost more to run the booster for those few minutes than for it to fruitlessly try to heat up the house while continually switching from heating to defrosting/cooling.
As I mentioned previously, the one on my Rheim stopped working and I had it repaired/replaced. If you get the brand name and the serial number, you may find that your system is still covered by a warranty.
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Old 01-13-2013, 06:26 PM
 
1,087 posts, read 3,517,484 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Windwalker2 View Post
If it has the Emergency Heat setting, then it has the heat strip or electric heating to boost the heat pump. My previous heat pump was a Rheim. it had that setting which I never used, but also whenever it went into defrost mode (often when it's really cold at night), the electric booster came on so it didn't blow cold air when it switched to the AC. I can't believe it would cost more to run the booster for those few minutes than for it to fruitlessly try to heat up the house while continually switching from heating to defrosting/cooling.
As I mentioned previously, the one on my Rheim stopped working and I had it repaired/replaced. If you get the brand name and the serial number, you may find that your system is still covered by a warranty.
Looks like I'll have to get an HVAC person to look at it. If it does have a strip, it should have been able to bring the temp higher than 66 during the night, so it must be broken. It should still be under warranty. The unit was purchased by the seller in November.
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Old 01-13-2013, 07:14 PM
 
Location: SW US
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If you can get someone to just climb up and get the brand and serial number, then you could contact an authorized service company. It should be covered by a warranty.
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Old 01-14-2013, 07:55 AM
 
Location: the AZ desert
5,035 posts, read 9,223,229 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RickTucsonHomes View Post
Just saw the updated forcast. Now they are calling for 21 degrees tonight!
It's 19 degrees by me right now.
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Old 01-20-2013, 05:56 AM
 
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The epilogue on Tucsons big freeze is it got down to 17 offically. I had 15 at my place. I had an outside waterline break that was very minor and one dead plant that I should have covered. At least 10 people in my neighborhood had major broken pipes including one that broke in a ceiling. The church nearby also had a ceiling pipe break. It should be 75 today.
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Old 01-20-2013, 08:41 AM
 
Location: Oro Valley AZ.
1,024 posts, read 2,747,759 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by borregokid View Post
The epilogue on Tucsons big freeze is it got down to 17 offically. I had 15 at my place. I had an outside waterline break that was very minor and one dead plant that I should have covered. At least 10 people in my neighborhood had major broken pipes including one that broke in a ceiling. The church nearby also had a ceiling pipe break. It should be 75 today.
Great info for newcomers on how much difference there can be in the different areas of town. Where I am in Oro Valley it only got down to 25 on its worst night. While I did not have a lot of worry about my pipes at 25, at 15 degrees I would of had a lot of concern and would have taken additional precautions!
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