Why do my heat pump / AC ceiling fans come on only when I switch from battery power

[Darrin77]

Why do my heat pump / AC ceiling fans come on only when I switch from battery power to generator power? It’s in the mid-20’s in CT, so I’m running heat. The heat is set so I am NOT using electric (heat pumps). When running on battery power, the fans that force air through the floor vents turn on and off as needed to heat each zone according to the temperatures I’ve selected. However, when the generator is on, the fans in the ceiling units turn on & off with the heat from the floor vents. Do the upper fans power on simply to move interior air more efficiently? I believe the ceiling fans powered on AC 120 like the heat pumps / AC units, but the floor fans are DC 12v.

Some details:
1) 2019 Entegra Cornerstone 42deq
2) Onan 10,000w generator – diesel
3) AquaHot 400 (option for diesel or electric) – running on diesel in this scenario
4) 25 degrees Fahrenheit exterior air temperature
5) Heating system zones 1 & 2 set to gas (meaning AquaHot diesel), AUTO / LOW, 63 degrees interior temperature
6) Zone 2 is off.
7) I’m not hooked up to shore power.

[Bobby Dowdle]

I would verify you don't have the fans on the heat pumps set to low or high. They need to be on auto.

5) Heating system zones 1 & 2 set to gas (meaning AquaHot diesel), AUTO / LOW, 63 degrees interior temperature

SHOULD BE "AUTO/AUTO

[Gary.Jones]

DoneRight

Are you sure of some of your basic information.

Are you use you have a 10K Onan in your coach?? Are you sure it isnt a 12K unit? I have never heard of a 10K genny in a Cornerstone coach. My 19 Cornerstone definitely has the 12K Onan installed.

Again, you say an AquaHot 400. Are you sure your AquaHot isnt a 450? I have never heard of a 400 being installed in a Cornerstone. A 450 is usual and supports both a diesel fired and electric element heated system.

Now, there is no way that the roof heat pumps are going to work at all when in battery mode. Those heat pumps draw way too much power to be supported by your house battteries. At least on my Cornerstone, I never use heat pumps unless 1.) the outside temperature is 40 degrees or above, and 2.) I am connected to shore power or making power with my own generator. If you are boondocking, then you need to be using the diesel fired AquaHot and the 12 volt-based forced air "radiators" near floor level.

I have never noticed my roof heat pumps turning on and off consistent with my floor forced air heat ..... However, I never have my heat pumps or AC units for that matter on "auto". Do you? My units are always programmed on the VegaTouch to be in heat mode, cool mode, or off, never auto or anything other than heat, cool, or off. The one place where my system does get strange and sort of similar to yours is that I will occasionally find the VegaTouch turning on the AquaHot forced air system even though I dont have the diesel heat turned on..... so mode is heat pumps and yet one zone of AquaHot heat blowers will turn on for no reason. However, never seen the reverse.

Gary

[voltdoc]

Gary, the thermostat, or in your case Vegatouch, probably has "assist" logic, so when running the heat pumps if there is a large differential between the room temp and the set temp (usually around 4 or 5 degrees F) the gas is enabled to help more quickly make up the difference.

Don't know if the Vegatouch is smart enough to also turn on the Aquahot in that situation, but the original Airxcel standalone thermostat of course could not do that.

[Old-Biscuit]

A/C Fans are 120VAC
Furnace Fans are 12VDC

A/C Fans NOT in AUTO will run when Furnace runs to help distribute the warm air are ceiling
* that is the idea except helping distribute warm air it just cools the air
Put A/C Fans in Auto when using furnace (while connected to AC Power source)

[Gary.Jones]

Mine never has.... I just hear the 12 volt based radiator heater fans start blowing, but no change to the AquaHot diesel burner status (still off).

Seems to accomplish little or nothing. Usually I have the electric burner in the 450 "on" but standing alone, does little to provide heat to the coach.

Gary

[Ambetter]

First you have a 12500 generator and a 450D Aquahot unless someone has replaced the original equipment, which I doubt.
On your vega touch go to your climate control icon and in upper right hand corner select manual instead of schedule and that should turn off the overhead fans.
Overhead fans should not come on if heat pumps aren’t selected.

[exgman]

He also mentioned having a 42 DEQ, which sounds like an Anthem. I don’t know of any Cornerstones that were 42’.

[Ambetter]

Originally Posted by exgman

He also mentioned having a 42 DEQ, which sounds like an Anthem. I don’t know of any Cornerstones that were 42’.

Same generator and Aquahot.

[brobox]

Originally Posted by Ambetter

Same generator and Aquahot.

His personal info shows an Aspire which would be a different generator and Aqua Hot.

[Ambetter]

Originally Posted by brobox

His personal info shows an Aspire which would be a different generator and Aqua Hot.

Well we’ve downgraded from a cornerstone to an anthem to an aspire. What’s next a Reatta?

[Darrin77]

Originally Posted by Ambetter

Well we’ve downgraded from a cornerstone to an anthem to an aspire. What’s next a Reatta?

YUP!!! I totally goofed my own post! I, in fact, own an Aspire. I do aspire to own a Cornerstone though!

And my plan is to downgrade to a minibike.

All the constructive input (and the sarcastic ones as well!) appreciated.

[Darrin77]

Version 2.0...

Sorry ladies and gents for my first post (never do a complex post on your phone) that had several VERY IMPORTANT details wrong (like the model of my coach!). Let's try this again:

Why do my heat pump / AC ceiling fans come on only when I switch from battery power to generator power?

It’s in the mid-20’s in CT, so I’m running heat. The heat is set so I'm using only the AquaHot 400 diesel… NOT using electric (heat pumps).

When running on battery power, the fans that force air through the floor vents turn on and off as needed to heat each zone according to the temperatures I’ve selected. However, when the generator is on, the fans in the ceiling units turn on & off with the heat from the floor vents.

Do the upper fans power on simply to "mix" interior air more effectively?

Some details:

1) 2019 Entegra Aspire 42DEQ

2) Onan 10,000w generator – diesel

3) AquaHot 400 (option for diesel or electric) – running on diesel in this scenario

4) 25 degrees Fahrenheit exterior air temperature

5) Heating system zones 1 & 3 set are on, set to AquaHot diesel, AUTO / LOW, 63 degrees interior temperature

6) Zone 2 is off.

7) I’m not hooked up to shore power.

[bevandtomH]

Since no one weighed in that is more knowledgeable than I, I’ll take a shot. I suspect the following:

Shore power/generator is required to power AC units and thusly, your heat pumps. You can’t power those on battery/inverter power.
You have select inverted 110 outlets within your coach for: tv, fridge, C-Pap machines(bedroom), etc. but your microwave, coffeemaker, and other big draw items need shore power or generator to power them properly.

Voltdoc alluded to another function that I have on my Classic and guessing you/ all do:
EX:when we are out for the day and come back to the coach and it is cool, I fire up the heat pumps, we really don’t need the burner on since it’s not that cold out, but the floor registers will kick on for as long as it thinks it needs to in order to supplement the heat pumps warming up. Once the heat pumps are outputting warm air, the floor furnace shuts down.
Make sense? A little wordy….