Ductless Heat Pumps

Heat pumps are one of the most energy efficient ways to heat your home.  Instead of using energy to generate heat, it extracts heat from the outside air and transfers it into your home by means of refrigerant that is circulated by a compressor. A ductless heat pump can save you 30 – 40% or more on your utility bill.

With the added benefit of being able to cool your home in the summer months. Heat Pumps not only helps you save, but contribute to year round comfort.

Your heat pump is designed to run efficiently until -10°C,-15°C, or -25°C (without wind chill) depending on which model is installed in the home. All heat pumps require an alternative source of heat. The system can work efficiently until these temperatures are reached. At that time, some systems should be shut off, while others will automatically do so. Running electric baseboards or other sources of heat is necessary approaching these temperatures.

During cold winter months (February & January) a power bill should be expected to rise as the system has less ideal temperature to run. The entire season’s results will show savings. Relative to outdoor temperature and where the heat from a system will travel, it may also be necessary to run heat sources (ex. Electric baseboard) in other parts of the home. Don’t worry, as these sources will only be supplementing at a fraction of their regular use. To some measure, heat from the ductless system will reach these areas, and less heat is produced by the alternative (such as electric baseboard) in order to reach a comfortable temperature.

We recommend all systems be shut off at -15°C (with the exception of our cold climate heat pumps), this will assist the lifespan of the unit as it works hardest during colder temperatures. This will also maintain efficiency of the unit, as at this temperature the cost of operation is the same as electric baseboards.

When the outside air temperature drops below 4 – 5 °C, your heat pump may go into defrost mode.

It may also make an unusual sound when this mode is activated. In this mode your heat pump may not appear to be pumping out hot air.  If this is the case, it is best to leave the unit alone until it has gone through this cycle.  If you know it is going to be cold and frosty overnight, you can be sure your system will go through at least one of these cycles. The colder the temperatures that a heat pump operates at, the more often defrost cycles must occur. The unit is removing frost and ice buildup, in order to run as efficiently as possible.

It’s generally much more efficient to leave your heat pump running, opposed to turning the heat source off/down when not needed as with other traditional means of heating (wood furnace, electric baseboard, etc.).

Heat pumps are most efficient when they slowly maintain the temperature of the room. When a large difference in  temperature is required (more than 1°C), compressors ramp up, and a heat pump will activate alternate/backup modes of heating in order to quickly achieve temperature.

It is possible to turn a heat pump down overnight. Program the system to drop 1°C every hour, and rise 1°C every hour to when you wake up.

Generally it is recommended to have the home stay a consistent temperature.

It is important that you check and clean the filters on your indoor unit every 2 weeks. Keeping the filters clean will help your Heat Pump run efficiently.

E.T. Mechanical recommends becoming a club member to guarantee an annual visit by our technicians. This will help your unit to continue to run as specified and to its full capabilities.
For more information on how to best keep your filters clean see our user guide.

This occurs because the heat pump and the indoor blower fan start at the same time and the heat pump requires a few seconds or minutes to build up the required heat with the refrigerant.
Heat Pumps are designed to gradually rise to a desired temperature over a long period of Time with a small heat output and a large amount of air flow. A comfortable temperature could be considered 22°C, yet our body temperature is 37°C; because the Heat Pump is producing air potentially colder than our body temperature the outputted air could seem lukewarm or even slightly cold to the touch. Don’t worry; this is part of its normal operation of being efficient and producing proper comfort.

More than likely what you smell is the backup emergency heat or electric heating elements in your comfort system. The backup heat will activate when it’s very cold out, or a large temperature increase (larger than 2°F or 1°C) has been requested. It can also activate when heat is detracted from the home – opening doors or windows, outside gusts of wind, etc.

After cooling season aux heating elements that have been unused for an entire season have been coated with dust, once auxiliary heat is initiated this dust burns off and has a temporary but distinct odor.

Heat Pumps are designed to extract every bit of available heat in order to attain maximum efficiency. When a heat pump shuts off, the indoor unit still has a residual amount of heat stored in its coil – by blowing the air over this, all stored heat is taken out of the coil.
This energy saving feature is enabled when the fan is set to “Auto” mode. In addition, the fan can be set to run continuously in the “On” mode creating perpetual airflow through the ductwork, and to better mix air in the home providing more consistent temperatures.

When a heat pump is set to cooling mode, it pulls warm air from your home’s interior and sends it outdoors. Heat pumps operating in cooling mode also eliminate excess moisture in your home’s air. The evaporator coils acts as a means to send condensation down to the designated drain. In heating mode, condensation occurs along the outdoor unit.

Possible issues that can cause your heat pump to leak:

– Drain is Clogged: The drain is used for condensation, sending extra moisture outside of the home. If the drain pan becomes clogged with algae, random debris, or other obstructions it causes the drain pan to overflow, creating a puddle of water by your heat pump.

– Refrigerant Level is Low: Lack of refrigerant can affect the evaporator coil’s ability to absorb heat. So as condensation forms along the indoor evaporator coils it can freeze into ice. Ice prevents the transfer of heat and hinders your heat pump’s functionality. As the unit turns off, the ice will melt and create the water that you have identified as a leak.
If ice form on the outdoor condensing unit the defrost function will activate, transferring heat outdoors to melt the ice. The water will slowly drip downwards until it freezes again.

These are a few common issues that can cause your heat pump to leak. But until you call in a trained HVAC technician, it’s all just speculation! To diagnose and repair the issue at hand, contact E.T. Mechanical Ltd. to schedule service in your Fredericton, NB area home today.