Archive for the ‘Arizona Heat Pumps’ Category

A Heat Pump is an alternative to a standard furnace. Heat pumps can be highly cost effective. They actually work to heat your home in the winter and cool it in the summer.

In the winter, a heat pump extracts heat from the outside air and delivers it through your duct work into your home.

It works through the principle that even when the air temperature is cool, there are still units of heat in that air. The heat pump coils and coolant solution circulates and collects that heat. It delivers the heat to inner coils and heats them. Air blows across those coils and into your duct system and your home.

During extremely cold weather, heat pumps have a supplemental heating element that helps boost the heat. Heat from a heat pump tends to be a slower and most consistent heat. The heat pump will run longer with a more mellow flow of air.

However, because it is a single system, it can be economical to maintain and can provide heat efficiently in most climates.

A heat pump is not a furnace.  This is an important distinction that can greatly impact the quality of comfort you received form your heating system.

What is a heat pump?
Rather than generating heat via some fuel source – electric or gas – a heat pump is designed to absorb heat from the outside air.  It then delivers this heat to an internal heating coil.  The heat pump blows air across the heat coil, delivering it to your home.

The problem arises when the heat pump cannot absorbe any heat from the outside air.  This occurs when the outside temperature drops below 40-45 degrees.  When this occurs, the heat pump can go into a “defrost cycle” – which is, in affect, the same as running your air-conditioner.

Basically, the unit begins taking heat out of the home to ensure the mechanical parts of the heat pump are not negatively impacted due to freezing over.

In other parts of the country – where cooler temperatures are more common – a heat pump is almost never the exclusive heating method of a home.  Usually, if a home has a heat pump, they will also have a furnace.  However, due to Arizona’s warmer climate, most homes that have a heat-pump – have only the heat pump to warm their air.

On colder evenings and some colder days this will result in a your “heat” pump blowing cold air into the house.

If this is happening to you, there are some steps you can take to reduce this affect.

1. Don’t set your thermostat down at night when you go to bed and then have the temperature go back up in the morning. You are asking the heat pump to absorb heat during the coldest part of the day and will cause it to go into defrost.
    
2. Ensure that your air filter is clean and changed regularly. (Every 30 days is typical of most 1″ thick filters)
    
3. Keep the area around your heat pump (outdoor unit) free of any growth or obstructions. Whenever possible you want 12-24″ of free air space around your unit to allow it to breath properly.
    
4. Have electrical heat strips added to your existing heat pump system, if applicable.

If you are concerned that your heat pump is not working effectively or want to understand the available options to make your home’s heating and cooling system as effective as possible, contact a member of our Comfort Team.  We would be happy to discuss how to make your home as comfortable as possible.

On the Lennox website, they offer a product selector that functions differently than some of the other manufacturers’ product selectors.

In addition to asking about size, efficiency, and comfort, Lennox’s product selector asks questions such as “Select the issues you think may affect how your air feels,” and “Have some concerns about your air? Click on all that apply.” By asking these sorts of questions, Lennox can help you select an air conditioner or heat pump that addresses your specific concerns about the air comfort and quality in your home.

Once you have completed the questions, Lennox gives you the opportunity to print out the questions and results so that you can give them to your air conditioning professional to help them understand your needs and concerns when having a new air conditioner or heat pump installed in your home.