I have owned my home for 2 years...this is the coldest winter right
now in many years. My house is at a chilly 45-50 degrees....my heat
pump was working fine until this terrible weather came in (it's been
well below zero...like 20 below on my thermometer).

Is it normal for the heat pump to not really warm my house above 50.
(Keep in mind I live in a chalet/a-frame and the thermometer is on the
windowed side of the house where it has drafty patio doors and house-
entrace doors however, the back bedrooms are chilly too).

The heat pump is having to go into defrost cycle alot (of course, it's
freezingggg out!) How would I know if there was something wrong with
the heat pump and to call a technician? I can't tell if it's just
because it's super cold out OR if there is sometihng wrong that it
won't heat well. Is there a switch on my thermostat I can change to
get me some heat (I read something about emergency heat/electric
heat?) My house is all electric, no gas.

Help!?

KJ

A heat pump system should be falling back on it's backup whether gas or
electric when the temp goes below 35 degrees. What type of backup unit does
yours have, and why isn't it kicking in?

--
Steve Barker


wrote in message
oups.com...
I have owned my home for 2 years...this is the coldest winter right
now in many years. My house is at a chilly 45-50 degrees....my heat
pump was working fine until this terrible weather came in (it's been
well below zero...like 20 below on my thermometer).

Is it normal for the heat pump to not really warm my house above 50.
(Keep in mind I live in a chalet/a-frame and the thermometer is on the
windowed side of the house where it has drafty patio doors and house-
entrace doors however, the back bedrooms are chilly too).

The heat pump is having to go into defrost cycle alot (of course, it's
freezingggg out!) How would I know if there was something wrong with
the heat pump and to call a technician? I can't tell if it's just
because it's super cold out OR if there is sometihng wrong that it
won't heat well. Is there a switch on my thermostat I can change to
get me some heat (I read something about emergency heat/electric
heat?) My house is all electric, no gas.

Help!?

KJ

On Feb 6, 8:43Â*am, wrote:
I have owned my home for 2 years...this is the coldest winter right
now in many years. Â*My house is at a chilly 45-50 degrees....my heat
pump was working fine until this terrible weather came in (it's been
well below zero...like 20 below on my thermometer).

Is it normal for the heat pump to not really warm my house above 50.

Snipped the following from Wikipedia...
--
Note that when there is a wide temperature differential, e.g., when
heating a house on a very cold winter day, it takes more work to move
the same amount of heat indoors as on a mild day. Ultimately, due to
Carnot efficiency limits, the heat pump's performance will approach
1.0 as the outdoor-to-indoor temperature difference increases. This
typically occurs around ˆ’18 °C (0 °F) outdoor temperature.. Also, as
the heat pump takes heat out of the air, some moisture in the outdoor
air may condense and possibly freeze on the outdoor heat exchanger.
The system must periodically melt this ice. In other words, when it is
extremely cold outside, it is simpler, and wears the machine less, to
heat using an electric-resistance heater than to strain an air-coupled
heat pump.
--
In other words, sounds like normal behaviour for a heat pump when it's
cold enough to freeze your dog to the ground when he goes out to do
his business. Never would have thought a heat pump was a good choice
for Minnesota, wonder who talked the original owner into that choice?

Jerry

At tte temperatures you are having up there, I am very surprised that
the heat pump is doing anything at all, much less keeping the temp in
the 40-50 range. If you have a typical HP thermostat, it should bring on
the heat strips when the inside temp is about 2-3 degrees below the set
temp, and most have either a light or some sort of icon to let you know
the aux is on. My guess is that the aux is also on, to even be able to
keep the house at the temp it is. The stat should also have a selector
to choose between (cool-off-heat- emer heat). You need to find out what
size aux heat you have, and that it is wired so that all the strips
there are working. About the only way to do that is to measure the amp
draw going to the strips. Larry