Heatcontroller HRG14 User Manual
OWNER’S INFORMATION MANUAL
FOR
HEAT PUMPS
IMPORTANT! BEFORE YOU
TURN YOUR HEAT PUMP
ON!
1. Be sure the electrical power has been turned on at the
outdoor unit for at least 8 hours. In cold weather 12
hours is better. This is to prevent damage to your compressor.
2. Be sure all supply and return grilles are open and not
obstructed.
3. Check to see that your indoor unit has clean air filters
installed to prevent clogging the fins on the coil.
HOW YOUR HEAT PUMP WORKS
COOLING
During the cooling season, your Heat Pump works like any
other summer air conditioner. It uses an indoor coil, a compressor and an outdoor coil to move heat from inside to
outside. Fans move air across the coils and circulate air in
the conditioned space. A thermostat turns the fans and
compressor on and off as cooling is needed. Hotter
weather means more cooling is required, so your unit will
run longer. When the temperature is highest, the unit may
run continuously for several hours.
HEATING
In the heating season, the use of the coils is reversed. The
outdoor coil picks up heat from the air and the indoor coil
releases this heat to warm your home. Colder weather increases heat needed and the unit runs longer. In most
areas the temperature will sometimes drop low enough
that the Heat Pump will run continuously. This outdoor
temperature at which the heat needed is equal to your
Heat Pump’s capacity is known as the system “Balance
Point”. This temperature will vary with each installation,
depending on the heat loss of the home and the size of the
heat pump selected. Below the Balance Point, the Heat
Pump will run continuously and the auxiliary electric
resistance heat will be cycled on and off by the thermostat, as needed. Your Heat Pump will continue to
operate efficiently at outdoor temperatures below 0°F.
Heat Pumps operate with much lower air temperatures
than gas furnaces and other types of heating equipment.
The air coming from supply grilles and registers will be only 15° to 30° warmer than the air in your home. It will feel
cool if it blows directly on you, but will provide the heat
needed to keep your home warm and comfortable.
DEFROST CYCLE
When the outdoor temperature drops below 45°, frost may
start to form on the outdoor coil. Frost buildup will be
heaviest on damp days with the temperature at 35° to 40°.
The Heat Pump has an automatic control which will
reverse the system and stop the outdoor fan to defrost the
coil when needed. Some units operate on a timer at 45 to
90 minute intervals. Others have an electronic control
which senses coil and air temperatures to determine when
a defrost cycle is needed. They may go as long as 6 hours
between defrosts. The coil may be almost completely
covered with frost at some times. Don’t worry unless it
continues to build up a thicker layer with areas of hard
clear ice. If excessive ice buildup should occur, call your
serviceman.
When the Heat Pump is defrosting, a cloud of steam may
rise from the outdoor unit for a short time. This is normal
and harmless.
The water which runs from the defrosting coil must be
drained away from the unit. Snow drifts must be kept cleared
away to prevent ice buildup in the coil from defrost water.
Important things to remember about the Defrost Cycle.
1. Water must drain away from the coil and unit to prevent damage from ice buildup. Keep snow cleared
away.
2. The outdoor fan stops. The unit may make some
strange hissing or gurgling noises and a cloud of
steam. They are normal.
3. Call your serviceman if you notice excessive frost and
clear ice buildup.
92-20802-03-09
SUPERSEDES 92-20802-03-08
HOW TO OPERATE
YOUR HEAT PUMP
The control center for your Heat Pump is your thermostat.
Many different types are used, but they are similar to
operate.
Your thermostat will have switches to select some or all of
the following functions.
COOL - Turns cooling on when temperature rises above
set point.
HEAT - Turns Heat Pump heating on when temperature
drops below set point. If room temperature drops another
2°, turns on the auxiliary resistance heat. Heat pump continues to run.
AUTO - Turns on cooling or heating as required to maintain
set points. Most thermostats have at least 4° separation
between heating and cooling settings.
OFF - Turns heating and cooling modes off (Fan may still
run in FAN-ON).
FAN-ON - Turns fan on for continuous operation.
FAN-AUTO - Fan cycles on and off with cooling or heating
operation.
EMERGENCY HEAT - Turns Heat Pump compressor and
outdoor fan off and provides heat from electric strips only.
Use this switch to manually turn the Heat Pump off and
change to the auxiliary heat in case of Heat Pump problems.
A lever is used to set the temperature that you desire.
Some thermostats have two levers, one for heating and
one for cooling.
Lights may be used to indicate that the auxiliary electric
heat is operating. The lights may be different colors on different types of thermostats. Typical lights will be blue or
green for normal auxiliary heating and red for emergency
heat.
For the most economical operation of your system, select
the highest summer setting and the lowest winter setting
at which you are comfortable. Typical temperatures are
78° on cooling and 70° on heating. Your operating cost is
increased from 3% to 8% for each degree lower setting in
cooling and for each degree higher setting in heating.
When heating, let the Heat Pump do the work whenever
possible. Do not change temperature settings more than
necessary. If you turn the temperature setting up 2° or
more you will bring on the auxiliary resistance heat. This
costs more to operate than the Heat Pump.
NIGHT SETBACK THERMOSTATS
Night Setback thermostats are available to automatically
turn the temperature down at night and back up in the morning. Only Setback thermostats with gradual, incremental
or “Intelligent” recovery should be used with Heat Pumps.
Setback thermostats without gradual recovery will use the
electric strip heaters to warm the air in the morning, and
may use more electricity than was saved during the night.
Ask your contractor for advice before installing a Setback
or “Energy Saving” thermostat.
HEAT PUMP MONITOR
A control called a Heat Pump Monitor may be installed
with your system. If so, it will check the performance of
your Heat Pump and turn it off if a problem occurs. It will
switch to the auxiliary heat and turn on the Emergency
Heat Light on your thermostat to tell you that the system
requires attention.
OPERATING ECONOMICALLY
Here are other ways to save electricity and improve your
system’s performance.
1. Keep all grilles and registers open and clear of
obstructions such as drapes or furniture.
2. Keep doors and windows closed.
3. Be sure all air ducts are well insulated and sealed with
a vapor barrier.
4. Let the sun in during the winter. Keep it out during the
summer.
5. Be sure clothes dryers are vented to the outside. (Away
from your outdoor unit.)
6. Fireplaces are pleasant, but most fireplaces bring in
more cold outside air for combustion and flue draft
than they heat. Your Heat Pump may actually run
more!
7. Use kitchen and bathroom exhaust fans only when
necessary.
8. Add insulation, storm windows and insulated outside
doors. Seal cracks to prevent air leakage.
9. Keep your filters clean. Reduced air flow in your unit
reduces efficiency.
10. Operate your indoor fan on AUTO. It costs less and will
provide better humidity control in the summer.
11. Keep lamps, TV’s and other heat sources away from
your thermostat.
12. Leave the power on at the outdoor unit at all times. If
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