We’ve got a 4 ton heat pump, but heat the house almost exclusively with a wood stove, even at temperatures down to -17C (at which a HP is pretty much useless anyway).
I know this unit has a “crankcase heater” which cycles on and off to keep the refrigerant and lubricant at a workable temperature. If we never plan to use the HP, is there any danger in just disconnecting it at the panel for the duration of Winter.?
Of course, if we ever did want to run it, we’d give it power 24 hours in advance to warm it up.
Thanks,
Scott.
Replies
I shut off all of the heaters on 3 properties (including my own) for the winter however it's only AC.
I might give it a couple of days if I was you. They don't put out much eat.
I would think the install/operating instructions might specify how long the heaters should be on if installed in cold weather.
The modern conservative is engaged in one of man's oldest exercises in moral philosophy; that is, the search for a superior moral justification for selfishness. -John Kenneth Galbraith
Hmmm.... good point. I'll have a look at the manual.I might even clamp on a meter to see how much current the heater draws.Scott.
Mine blew out on my AC compressor. IIRC the purpose is to boil off any refrigerant that is absorbed in the compressor oil. Above 65 degrees there is no refrigerant in the oil so I didn't replace mine and the AC runs fine. For the heat pump I would say you are ok if you power the heater up a day (hvac tech buddy told me 8 hrs) before you want to start the compressor. That's been my experience anyway.