that is what the units are made for. I would not switch from heat directly
to cool when the unit running or visa versa. As long as the unit is not
running there should be no problem.


Some electronic thermostats will automatically switch between heating
and cooling without using a switch. I had an Emerson stat that did
this. Sorry, I don't remember the model.

One thing you want to avoid is short-cycling your A/C Compressor.
This means turning it off and then turning it on again right away.
The high pressure differential causes extra stress on the compressor
when starting and may burn out, trip breakers, fuses, etc.

Some thermostats have built-in short cycle prevention. There is a
time delay of 2 minutes or so while the difference in pressure between
the high side and the low side is allowed to blead off. Cheaper
thermostats do not have short cycle protection.

Beachcomber