The heat pump is going into defrost mode. It is drawing heat from the
house and pumping it into the outside coils to burn off any frost that
may have formed. Some units even go into the resistance heat mode to
make the process work. It is a normal function of a heat pump.

BTW depending on your heat pump model it can run as low as zero
degrees. I had a GE unit for 18 years and it ran OK (although not very
efficient) down to zero.


ftwhd wrote:

I have what I think is a problem...or maybe its normal.
Once in a great while, and this will be when its in the mid-30's so
I'm not
running when its below 28, after the heat pump has kicked on and
brought the
temp in the house up to the set point, the furnace fan continues to
run,
cold air comes out, and the heat pump's compressor seems to still be
running
but the heat pumps external fan isn't on.

Any ideas??

wrote in message oups.com...
The heat pump is going into defrost mode. It is drawing heat from the
house and pumping it into the outside coils to burn off any frost that
may have formed. Some units even go into the resistance heat mode to
make the process work. It is a normal function of a heat pump.


It probably goes into hesistance heat mode during defrost to avoid a
cold draft in the house.

Bob

"Bob" wrote in message
...

wrote in message
oups.com...
The heat pump is going into defrost mode. It is drawing heat from the
house and pumping it into the outside coils to burn off any frost that
may have formed. Some units even go into the resistance heat mode to
make the process work. It is a normal function of a heat pump.


It probably goes into hesistance heat mode during defrost to avoid a
cold draft in the house.

Bob


Is "hesistance heat mode" related to the heating delay mode?

"Oscar_Lives" wrote in message news:jGHrf.674892$xm3.145331@attbi_s21...

It probably goes into hesistance heat mode during defrost to avoid a
cold draft in the house.

Bob


Is "hesistance heat mode" related to the heating delay mode?

No. It's related to typeing incompetence. "resistance"

Bob

On Tue, 27 Dec 2005 15:16:12 -0800, "Bob" wrote:


"Oscar_Lives" wrote in message news:jGHrf.674892$xm3.145331@attbi_s21...

It probably goes into hesistance heat mode during defrost to avoid a
cold draft in the house.

Bob


Is "hesistance heat mode" related to the heating delay mode?

No. It's related to typeing incompetence. "resistance"

Bob

Kind of like spelling
"TYPING" ?
Bubba

When your air source heat pump goes into defrost, three things happen:

1) Reversing valve switches to cool position.

2) Resistance heat comes on to temper the indoor discharge air so it
doesn't blow cold.

3) Outdoor fan shuts off so the outdoor coils thaw faster.

After 10 minutes or after the outdoor coil warms to 70 degrees, the
defrost mode terminates. NOTE: during defrost you may notice white
vapor coming from outdoor unit. This is water vapor, NOT smoke! You
will also see water running out of the outdoor unit. This is normal.

Stretch

"Stretch" wrote in message
oups.com...
When your air source heat pump goes into defrost, three things happen:

1) Reversing valve switches to cool position.

2) Resistance heat comes on to temper the indoor discharge air so it
doesn't blow cold.

3) Outdoor fan shuts off so the outdoor coils thaw faster.

After 10 minutes or after the outdoor coil warms to 70 degrees, the
defrost mode terminates. NOTE: during defrost you may notice white
vapor coming from outdoor unit. This is water vapor, NOT smoke! You
will also see water running out of the outdoor unit. This is normal.

Stretch

Yup...thats exactly what is happening...except the backup electric furnace
is not kicking on. I bought this house this year and the previous owners
put all this in and have an extended warranty past this year...get
this...they require 2 paid visits a year for 5 years to keep the
warranty...what a load of crap especially considering they didn't install it
correctly to begin with.
So this is the last "free" visit before having to pay, and they better fix
it...or I could care less about their rip-off "warranty" requirements.

Thanks for the reply.

"Raines" wrote in message
...
"Stretch" wrote in message
oups.com...
When your air source heat pump goes into defrost, three things happen:

1) Reversing valve switches to cool position.

2) Resistance heat comes on to temper the indoor discharge air so it
doesn't blow cold.

3) Outdoor fan shuts off so the outdoor coils thaw faster.

After 10 minutes or after the outdoor coil warms to 70 degrees, the
defrost mode terminates. NOTE: during defrost you may notice white
vapor coming from outdoor unit. This is water vapor, NOT smoke! You
will also see water running out of the outdoor unit. This is normal.

Stretch

Yup...thats exactly what is happening...except the backup electric furnace
is not kicking on. I bought this house this year and the previous owners
put all this in and have an extended warranty past this year...get
this...they require 2 paid visits a year for 5 years to keep the
warranty...what a load of crap especially considering they didn't install
it correctly to begin with.
So this is the last "free" visit before having to pay, and they better fix
it...or I could care less about their rip-off "warranty" requirements.

Thanks for the reply.

Most manufacturers residential *minimum* warrantys are 1 year parts *and*
labor, 5 years on *all* the parts, and 5 or 10 years parts warranty on the
compressor. It sounds like the installers are trying to load you like a
shotgun.
Got make/model/serial number?

"Raines" wrote in message
...
"Stretch" wrote in message
oups.com...
When your air source heat pump goes into defrost, three things happen:

1) Reversing valve switches to cool position.

2) Resistance heat comes on to temper the indoor discharge air so it
doesn't blow cold.

3) Outdoor fan shuts off so the outdoor coils thaw faster.

After 10 minutes or after the outdoor coil warms to 70 degrees, the
defrost mode terminates. NOTE: during defrost you may notice white
vapor coming from outdoor unit. This is water vapor, NOT smoke! You
will also see water running out of the outdoor unit. This is normal.

Stretch

Yup...thats exactly what is happening...except the backup electric furnace
is not kicking on. I bought this house this year and the previous owners
put all this in and have an extended warranty past this year...get
this...they require 2 paid visits a year for 5 years to keep the
warranty...what a load of crap especially considering they didn't install
it correctly to begin with.
So this is the last "free" visit before having to pay, and they better fix
it...or I could care less about their rip-off "warranty" requirements.

Without getting too technical:

There is one wire on the outdoor unit that is used to send a signal to your
resistance heat telling it to come on when it is going through defrost. A
lot of the manufacturers state in their install instructions: "Leave this
wire off for best economical performance" (or something like that).. It
could be that it was never hooked up. 9 times out of 10 it's the white wire,
but you have to be color blind and not always go by the color wire.
Especially if it's a Lennox.....

"Bubba " ReMoVe wrote in message
...
On Tue, 27 Dec 2005 15:16:12 -0800, "Bob" wrote:


"Oscar_Lives" wrote in message
news:jGHrf.674892$xm3.145331@attbi_s21...

It probably goes into hesistance heat mode during defrost to avoid a
cold draft in the house.

Bob


Is "hesistance heat mode" related to the heating delay mode?

No. It's related to typeing incompetence. "resistance"

Bob

Kind of like spelling
"TYPING" ?
Bubba


I thought it was related to his inability to count....(another post...hes
worked on thousands, and THOUSANDS of oil units)

"CBHVAC" wrote in message ...

It probably goes into hesistance heat mode during defrost to avoid a
cold draft in the house.

Bob


Is "hesistance heat mode" related to the heating delay mode?

No. It's related to typeing incompetence. "resistance"

Bob

Kind of like spelling
"TYPING" ?
Bubba


I thought it was related to his inability to count....(another post...hes
worked on thousands, and THOUSANDS of oil units)

Sorry. You've got the wrong guy on that one.

I can't spell. I can't type. What do you expect from an engineer?

Bob

Especially if it's a Lennox.....


Dr. Hardcrab,

You are out of date. Lennox has used industry standard wire color
coding for at least 15 years. On a Lennox, the strip heat is brought
on with the white wire in the thermostat cable.

Stretch

"Bob" wrote in message
...

"CBHVAC" wrote in message
...

It probably goes into hesistance heat mode during defrost to avoid
a
cold draft in the house.

Bob


Is "hesistance heat mode" related to the heating delay mode?

No. It's related to typeing incompetence. "resistance"

Bob

Kind of like spelling
"TYPING" ?
Bubba


I thought it was related to his inability to count....(another post...hes
worked on thousands, and THOUSANDS of oil units)

Sorry. You've got the wrong guy on that one.

Okie..sorry about that...another Bob posted that day that he had..


I can't spell. I can't type. What do you expect from an engineer?

Bob

wrote in message
...
On 29 Dec 2005 17:12:22 -0800, "Stretch" wrote:

Especially if it's a Lennox.....


Dr. Hardcrab,

You are out of date. Lennox has used industry standard wire color
coding for at least 15 years. On a Lennox, the strip heat is brought
on with the white wire in the thermostat cable.

Stretch

just curious here Stretch, but does lennox still use their own
terminal designations, such as V-Vr for 24v, M for compressor, R for
reversing valve, F for fan, etc?

The ahu I got here uses "3" as terminal designation for common...est. year
1996 unit or so.

The rest are standard, excepting I seem to recall maybe there's an "X" on
the condensor schematic...aux call on defrost.

--

SVL

"Stretch" wrote in message
ups.com...
Especially if it's a Lennox.....


Dr. Hardcrab,

You are out of date. Lennox has used industry standard wire color
coding for at least 15 years. On a Lennox, the strip heat is brought
on with the white wire in the thermostat cable.

Stretch

Not out of date here, son. There are a lot of people that still have out of
date units out there.

Cut that white wire and the strip heat WON'T come on (during defrost).

Fish wrote,

just curious here Stretch, but does lennox still use their own
terminal designations, such as V-Vr for 24v, M for compressor, R for
reversing valve, F for fan, etc?


Fish, not for the last 15 years. R=24V hot, C=24V common, Y=
Compressor, O=reversing Valve, W=strip heat, etc. Just like everyone
else. They are also using industry standard size desigignations, eg.
036 = 3-tons.

Stretch

"Noon-Air" wrote in message
. ..

"Raines" wrote in message
...
"Stretch" wrote in message
oups.com...
When your air source heat pump goes into defrost, three things happen:

1) Reversing valve switches to cool position.

2) Resistance heat comes on to temper the indoor discharge air so it
doesn't blow cold.

3) Outdoor fan shuts off so the outdoor coils thaw faster.

After 10 minutes or after the outdoor coil warms to 70 degrees, the
defrost mode terminates. NOTE: during defrost you may notice white
vapor coming from outdoor unit. This is water vapor, NOT smoke! You
will also see water running out of the outdoor unit. This is normal.

Stretch

Yup...thats exactly what is happening...except the backup electric
furnace is not kicking on. I bought this house this year and the
previous owners put all this in and have an extended warranty past this
year...get this...they require 2 paid visits a year for 5 years to keep
the warranty...what a load of crap especially considering they didn't
install it correctly to begin with.
So this is the last "free" visit before having to pay, and they better
fix it...or I could care less about their rip-off "warranty"
requirements.

Thanks for the reply.

Most manufacturers residential *minimum* warrantys are 1 year parts *and*
labor, 5 years on *all* the parts, and 5 or 10 years parts warranty on the
compressor. It sounds like the installers are trying to load you like a
shotgun.
Got make/model/serial number?

The tech came out and it was exactly what the decent ppl in this forum were
saying...it wasn't wired correctly.