Community Forums

Just4Fun20 · 01-15-2018, 02:28 PM

There are many good posts on heat. I think I I get all of that now.

Heat - Elec is the heat pumps.

Heat - Gas is the Aqua Hot either Electric or Gas, going out through 4 zones (front, floor, back and basement... in that order).

I guess my question is really about the fans, particularly on Heat - Gas. They only stir the air, right? I prefer to run the heat with the fans off, the last setting of the 9.

Those settings are:
High-Heat-Elec, Low-Heat-Elec, Auto-Low-Heat-Elec, Auto-High-Heat-Elec.
and
High-Heat-Gas, Low-Heat-Gas, Auto-Low-Heat-Gas, Auto-High-Heat-Gas, and finally the one I like Heat-Gas.

Is it correct that, on the gas side, the fans only stir the air (as in High, Low, Auto)?

What setting would produce the maximum amount of heat? For example, we were away a couple of days and I'd set the heat down to 50. Now I want warm the rig up as quickly as possible. It's cold outside, say around 30F. There doesn't seem to be a way to run both Elec and Gas. Gas probably has the most BTU's available. Turning the fans just stirs cold air. The little fans in behind the cabinets provide very nice Gas heat. Is there a setting that would provide more heat than all zones on and Heat-Gas?

I just want to make sure I'm not missing anything.

Thank you.

buddy110 · 01-15-2018, 03:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Just4Fun20

There are many good posts on heat. I think I I get all of that now.

Heat - Elec is the heat pumps.

Heat - Gas is the Aqua Hot either Electric or Gas, going out through 4 zones (front, floor, back and basement... in that order).

I guess my question is really about the fans, particularly on Heat - Gas. They only stir the air, right? I prefer to run the heat with the fans off, the last setting of the 9.

Those settings are:
High-Heat-Elec, Low-Heat-Elec, Auto-Low-Heat-Elec, Auto-High-Heat-Elec.
and
High-Heat-Gas, Low-Heat-Gas, Auto-Low-Heat-Gas, Auto-High-Heat-Gas, and finally the one I like Heat-Gas.

Is it correct that, on the gas side, the fans only stir the air (as in High, Low, Auto)?

What setting would produce the maximum amount of heat? For example, we were away a couple of days and I'd set the heat down to 50. Now I want warm the rig up as quickly as possible. It's cold outside, say around 30F. There doesn't seem to be a way to run both Elec and Gas. Gas probably has the most BTU's available. Turning the fans just stirs cold air. The little fans in behind the cabinets provide very nice Gas heat. Is there a setting that would provide more heat than all zones on and Heat-Gas?

I just want to make sure I'm not missing anything.

Thank you.

Irony. Justforfun is the name of my racing team.
But to your question. The HP's are useless below 50. I always use heat gas (no fan) The coach heats up nicely.

baddmann · 01-17-2018, 08:33 PM

On Heat - Gas, air blows across radiators that have hydronic fluid flowing through them that is heated by you aquahot.

While using Gas, You can also turn the fans on over head to circulate air, but they don't add any heat.

Heat-electric are the heat pumps. They work well to about 40 degrees. Any lower and they struggle.

Fastest way is Heat - Gas on zone 1 and 3, Heat Electric on zone 2 (if above 40, if not leave it off) and turn on fireplace.

Ann n Gene · 01-17-2018, 10:46 PM

My Aqua Hot has been out for two days(description on Aqua Hot problem thread) and my heat pumps worked yesterday and all night last night at 27 degrees and kept us toasty. There IS a difference in air, high humidity like we had here in south Texas let’s them put out heat at lower temps. Have had other times when they struggled at 40, they will tell you they will not work below about 35 at the least but my experience proved that is not always right. Glad and surprised they could work that low but they did and really helped us. I know, not possible but just did it. JMHO

roger8070 · 01-18-2018, 01:28 AM

I had read a while back that the heat pumps had a freeze sensor that prevented them from operating in temperatures that were too low. Is that not so? I would think that 27 degrees is a very low temperature for them to run.

Ann n Gene · 01-18-2018, 07:43 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by roger8070

I had read a while back that the heat pumps had a freeze sensor that prevented them from operating in temperatures that were too low. Is that not so? I would think that 27 degrees is a very low temperature for them to run.

Don’t know why they would have that, nothing to freeze, just an ac running backward. All o do know if they kept us warm at 27 outside temp and below freezing for over24 hours.

Rollin101 · 01-18-2018, 09:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ann n Gene

Don’t know why they would have that, nothing to freeze, just an ac running backward. All o do know if they kept us warm at 27 outside temp and below freezing for over24 hours.

Ours also worked fine in Tampa last night with temp at 29. Heat pumps in general work fairly well down to around zero. Difference between RV and home is home models have a sensor that detects reduced air flow across the condenser and switches from heat pump mode to A/C mode, temporarily, to defrost the condenser. If our mh had the defrost cycle they would be good to a much lower temp, but without that cycle the condenser is subject to freeze and if that happens there is a sensor that will shut the compressor down. Just depends on atmospheric conditions.

dmm588 · 01-18-2018, 09:40 AM

Our HP heating elements shut down the other night at 31 degrees (outside temp) They fired back up the next morning around 34 degrees... been working fine in the mid 30's ... but it hasn't dropped below 32 though since the other night either....talk about bad timing for pumps 1&2 to go down in the aqua hot!

roger8070 · 01-19-2018, 07:31 AM

I had read about freeze sensors on the Tiffin forum, but I don't know the model of heat pump referenced. I seemed reasonable that this was to prevent damage to the heat pump. The manual for the Airxcel 47000 heat pumps state, in part "The heat pump will shut down at conditions which would cause outdoor coil freeze-up, generally near freezing temperatures." Also, it says "In the heating mode, the temperature rise from inlet to supply will be 25 to 40 degrees unless the outdoor temperature has dropped sufficiently to cause the freeze switch to activate. In that case, the rise will only be 10 to 20 degrees."

So, can damage to the heat pumps occur at below freezing temperatures, even though the HP has not shut down.

Just4Fun20 · 01-19-2018, 12:22 PM

Excellent. Thank you all.

Just curious. Why would you use the HP(s) over the AquaHot? The AH gives less wear and tear on the HPs. I suppose the HP's use only electricity but I have a plug in heater for that (high quality, thermostat, safety features)... at least for the bedroom.

Have a great day.

JTN8 · 01-19-2018, 12:43 PM

My last MH had the dometic 15K heat pumps and they had a freeze sensor but it was to run it in AC mode to defrost the coils when they froze up. Regardless, they wouldn't work well below 38 or so. The colemans I've had in the past and on my Anthem work much better in lower temps but I'm not sure if they've got a sensor for freezing up and or run in AC to thaw out. But again I've ran them in the high 20's and still had heat.