Heat Pump Troubleshooting


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Old 08-09-11, 07:46 PM
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Heat Pump Troubleshooting

I am new here, do not know very much about HVAC systems, and hope you all will be as patient and kind as I've read in previous posts.

I have a brand new Heat Pump system, indoor and outdoor unit. I think I've had just about everything go wrong with this thing from the start. First, the air handler was installed with less than 2' of clearance, and not many people will touch it. Yes the new unit was installed by idiots (working with a home owner's warranty). The unit was installed last winter.

Brief history: The NEW outdoor unit had a bad compressor, the new compressor had a leak. The NEW air handler had a bad heat pack, burnt wires, bad relays, and I think one or two other things. This summer there was no cool air, the ONE HVAC guy that would work on my unit came out and found a burnt wire, he replaced it and the unit began cooling. HE said it was good.

Recently received my electric bill and it was HIGHER than last year, even though that unit was a 10SEER, 10+yrs old and the coils and blower were filthy. The thermostat temp is still the same as last yr.

I purchased an indoor/outdoor thermostat from Walmart, probably not the most accurate. It showed less than a 10deg difference, 74deg at supply register and 66deg at return register. I moved the thermostat to another supply register closer to the unit, in the basement (discovered the previous owners had a filter hidden in there-removed filthy filter, also replaced regular filter). For a thermostat set at 74 it showed 69deg at intake and 61 at return.

I KNOW there is something wrong with this BRAND NEW unit. My question to all of you experts out there is, WHAT????????????
I need to know where to point the "experts". Please let me know if you need more info or if I was not clear.
 
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Old 08-10-11, 03:05 PM
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have the refrigerant charge checked, check the filter, check the indoor coil. What were the temps this year compared to last year (outdoor)?
 
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Old 08-11-11, 03:28 AM
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The filter is new, is there a specific number the refrigerant charge should be at? what on the indoor coils should be checked?? It's a new unit so should not be too dirty yet. It has been a little warmer this year compared to last, but shouldn't a unit put in less than a yr ago, be more efficient than one that was put in 10-15yrs ago?
 
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Old 08-11-11, 04:03 AM
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Refrigerant can only be checked by a pro. Check indoor coil for dirt ir plugged up with pet htair or the like. The unit is probably more efficient, but ifa you are experiencing the same thing we are in my area wich is temps 10F higher than our normal average highs you may still be using more electricity than you did the previous year. Another thing to check is your KW usage this year vs. Last year, your utility price may have gone up.
 
 

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