Electric Heat Strips
There are some people who say that heat pump heat is not as warm as other types of heat such as a hot water boiler or even a steam boiler. Even the forced air gas furnace gets more credit for providing better heat than the heat pump. Heat pumps are extremely popular in the southern states where the heating season is short and where the temperature rarely dips below 35 degrees F. The heat pumps in the southern states are usually utilize electric heating strips for those rare times the heat pump cannot keep up in those unusual times when the temperature in the south dips below 35 to 40 degrees. Some of the more expensive units use a secondary heat of gas in the form of a gas furnace for back up heat. Whatever people say we will attempt to dispel this myth that heat pump heat is not as good as other types of heat.
Heat Pump Myth Possible
If we know the sequence of operation for a gas furnace we understand that the burners on the gas furnace kick on and begin heating the heat exchanger a minute or so before blower motor kicks on to blow the air through the duct work. By delaying the blower motor and allowing the heat exchanger to heat up the blower can deliver warm air sooner than if the blower came on at the same time the burners turn on. With most heat pumps the blower turns on right away so if the air in the ducts is 50 degrees Fahrenheit then it will feel like the heat pump is blowing 50 degree Fahrenheit air and we will definitely feel cold. So it is possible for one to think the heat pump doesn’t deliver hot air all the time when the blower kicks on and purges the ducts of cold air. Why not delay the blower for a short delay and allow the refrigeration part of the heat pump time enough generate the heat enough so there will be minimal cool air blowing form the ducts? Of course as I am writing this someone or some manufacturer has already made this change.
Heat Pump Sequence of Operation
Ducane 10 SEER Heat Pump
Before making changes to the sequence of operation for a heat pump we must first analyze how a heat pump works. Put in simple terms it works in reverse from how the air conditioner cycle works when the same heat pump is in the cooling mode. The reversing valve facilitates the heating and cooling cycle by reversing the process and making the condenser a condenser and an evaporator an evaporator in cooling mode and in the heating mode the evaporator becomes the condenser and the condenser becomes the evaporator. In the heating mode the heat pump condenser is used as an evaporator and absorbs heat from the outside air. This heat is transferred inside where it is used to heat the home.
So if we delayed the blower from turning on to allow heat to build up in the condenser (evaporator) then will we harm any other components? The hot gases coming from the evaporator are channeled back to the compressor via the accumulator. It is possible the hot gases could harm the compressor but all of this could be engineered so no damage would be caused to the compressor because of the hot gases coming from the evaporator. So if the engineering was done we could delay the blower fan probably 30 seconds and then we would experience the same air delivery temperature that we would experience with a gas furnace. Problem solved.
The Last Word About Heat Pump Heat
One other word of note about boiler heating systems. It is an opinion but I believe the best possible heat one can have is radiant heat provided by a hot water boiler. The floor has tubing under it where the water runs through the tubing and this type of heat is even and comfortable especially when you walk on the floor and your toes are toasty. In some cases this type of heat is not available because the home was built without taking this type of heat into consideration so therefore without major renovation and expense installing this type of heat is impractical. There are millions of people staying warm with heat pumps this winter and we everyone stays warm all winter!
Heat Pump Heat-Heating with Heat Pumps
This Goodman heat pump condensing unit is a new installation. The inside Goodman air handler attached to the heat pump condenser via line set was also replaced with this new Goodman heat pump. Its not a good idea to put a new high SEER air conditioner or heat pump condenser without matching it up with a properly rated and efficient air handler especially the coil. In 2006 congress mandated new efficiency levels for split system air conditioners from 10 SEER to 13 SEER. HVAC Manufacturers could no longer sell 10 SEER split system air conditioners or heat pumps to the general public. As a result homeowners were forced to purchase HVAC Equipment that was more efficient which of course costs more to manufacture. Additionally, in the past HVAC contractors could change the condenser if the condenser went bad. The HVAC Contractor could hook up a new condenser to an older air handler before this rule took effect. After the new rule took effect in 2006 the HVAC contractors had no choice but to replace the condensing unit and the air handler as the the older systems rarely matched the newer systems.
