Ok does my thermostat have a back up gun?

[none]

I was messing around with the the thermostats and settings one of them said emergency heat. Being from the Midwest we really only had tempature settings never heard of emergency heat?

[MacGyver]

You're running a heat pump. "Emergency heat" is a backup heat source - generally electric for when the ambient temperature outside is too cold for the heat pump to operate effectively.

As an old physics professor of mine used to say, "when I see that light come on, I know I'm going to be eating peanut butter sandwiches..."

[none]

You're running a heat pump. "Emergency heat" is a backup heat source - generally electric for when the ambient temperature outside is too cold for the heat pump to operate effectively.
As an old physics professor of mine used to say, "when I see that light come on, I know I'm going to be eating peanut butter sandwiches..."

Thank you. We don't really use the heat pump thing. We have corn stove that puts out a lot of btu's Basically we just run the fan to circulate the warm air around the rest of the house.

[monkeylizard]

What MacGyver said. Picture the coil burners on an older stove top. Your heat pump has something like those inside it to make heat when the outside air doesn't have enough. It's not hard to see how that will run your electric bill up higher than Lindsey Lohan on Spring Break in Jamaica.

[Dirtshooter]

My house has a heat pump and the repairman that checks it twice a year said to call them out if it switched to emergency heat, he said we would have to float a loan to pay the electric bill. Thas is why my old Ashley wood heater does most of the work when it is cold and I didn't let it get out of wood.

[Trekbike]

That's why I love my gas furnace, it's warm, toasty, and cheaper than electric.

[VERO1]

Picture your emergency heater as a great big toaster stuffed in the air duct. A coworker of mine ran her s for a month last winter. Her light bill was in the $1800 range for the month!

[No_0ne]

The strip heaters shouldn't be running unless the outside temps are below about 32 degrees or so, unless you make a radical change in your thermostat settings.  During "normal" temperatures, electric heat pumps are one of the most efficient ways of heating a home, however they don't work as well during really cold weather.  Unfortunately, lately we haven't had as many "normal" days as usual ...

[vontar]

emergency heat can also be gas.  I know I looked at one a few years ago that was going to use gas as the back up.

 

I didn't get that model though.

[Motasyco]

In my system, if the delta between the room's actual temperature and the thermostat's heat setting exceeds two degrees, my emergency heat kicks in.  I turn my heat down to 64 degrees at night and kick it up to 70 in the morning.  The emergency heat will be on until room temperature reaches 68 degrees. That happens pretty quickly.  The heat pump carries on alone once the delta is less than two degrees.

[enfield]

In my system, if the delta between the room's actual temperature and the thermostat's heat setting exceeds two degrees, my emergency heat kicks in.  I turn my heat down to 64 degrees at night and kick it up to 70 in the morning.  The emergency heat will be on until room temperature reaches 68 degrees. That happens pretty quickly.  The heat pump carries on alone once the delta is less than two degrees.

 

That doesn't sound like the heat pump or thermostat is operating correctly - you might want to have it checked.  You could turn off the breaker to the heat strip.  My 60 amp (!) breaker is off until the gas logs quit.

[Motasyco]

That doesn't sound like the heat pump or thermostat is operating correctly - you might want to have it checked.  You could turn off the breaker to the heat strip.  My 60 amp (!) breaker is off until the gas logs quit.

 

I can set the delta with the programmable thermostat.  Unlike most things in today's world, this operates just like I tell it to.

[K191145]

You're running a heat pump. "Emergency heat" is a backup heat source - generally electric for when the ambient temperature outside is too cold for the heat pump to operate effectively.

As an old physics professor of mine used to say, "when I see that light come on, I know I'm going to be eating peanut butter sandwiches..."

 

It's actually called "auxillary heat" when the T-stat can't be satisfied by the heat pump alone, that Aux heat light comes on the T-stat, heat pump and electric heat. The emergency heat setting is only electric heat, no compressor. If there's a problem with the heat pump itself you can still have heat provided the problem isn't the blower moter, or a few other things. Some units may have an outside sensor that will not allow auxillary heat untill the outside drops to a certain temature but not all, the T-stat usually decides if auxillary heat is needed.

Edited November 21, 2014 by K191145

[K191145]

I have 3 remote ventless gas heaters with pilot light for when/if the power is lost, plus a gas stove that I can light the burners with a lighter if no power. My additional heat is old baseboard heaters which are actually safer than their reputation, they don't get hot enough to ignite paper or wood. I also have a working carbon monoxide detector on the wall, the secret with ventless heaters and logs is the right O2 to gas mixture and a strong blue flame, not a lazy yellow flame. When I worked in HVAC I had a good expensive handheld carbon monoxide detector, if the flame on a ventless was strong and blue I never got any readings, just carbon "DIOXIDE", if the flame was yellow I would get a slight reading of carbon monoxide.  

[Dolomite`s Breezy]

My " aux" heat and  emerg. heat  are 2 different settings.wonder why that is?

[gregintenn]

My heat pump has "emergency heat" on it, but I've yet to see it come on. I assume it is to keep you from freezing until the repairman gets there? :shrug:

[GlockSpock]

My " aux" heat and emerg. heat are 2 different settings.wonder why that is?

Do you have a heat pump, electric auxiliary, and then gas?


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[jtmaze]

I have a heat pump with two sets of gas logs. The emergency heat is just for emergency(unit fails and have to stay warm til repairman arrives. Aux heat means the heat pump is running but cannot keep up with the cold so auxiliary heat strips come on to help. Very expensive. I ran out of propane last January and ran heat pump all month. Bill $450 for about half of the house. Whole house with logs about $150 a month plus $50-60 worth of gas.


JTM
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[monkeylizard]

My " aux" heat and  emerg. heat  are 2 different settings.wonder why that is?

 

It's what K191145 was talking about in post #13 and what jtmaze said.

 

Aux is when the heat pump runs and the heat strips/coils kick on to supplement it because it's too cold outside for the heat pump to draw any/enough heat from the outside air. Emergency is for the heat strips/coils by themselves. The heat pump compressor itself will not be running. The fan blower will be running in either mode to move the air.

 

Aux will kick on if it needs supplemental heat. Emergency will kick on to keep you from freezing to death until the repairman arrives if the heat pump craps out or freezes over. Both use the electricity-hungry heat strips/coils.

Edited November 21, 2014 by monkeylizard

[tnguy]

That's why I love my gas furnace, it's warm, toasty, and cheaper than electric.

 

I plan to go to gas/heat pump when it's time to change. We currently have gas. Should probably have replaced it already but feeding it a new part every couple of years seems to keep it happy.

[tnguy]

I have 3 remote ventless gas heaters with pilot light for when/if the power is lost, plus a gas stove that I can light the burners with a lighter if no power. My additional heat is old baseboard heaters which are actually safer than their reputation, they don't get hot enough to ignite paper or wood. I also have a working carbon monoxide detector on the wall, the secret with ventless heaters and logs is the right O2 to gas mixture and a strong blue flame, not a lazy yellow flame. When I worked in HVAC I had a good expensive handheld carbon monoxide detector, if the flame on a ventless was strong and blue I never got any readings, just carbon "DIOXIDE", if the flame was yellow I would get a slight reading of carbon monoxide.  

 

Yep, the yellow in a yellow flame is the glow from unburnt soot caused by incomplete combustion.

[Dolomite`s Breezy]

Do you have a heat pump, electric auxiliary, and then gas?


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Nope.. No gas here.. just a 2 ton Rheem AC /Heating unit ( electric)

[peejman]

Nope.. No gas here.. just a 2 ton Rheem AC /Heating unit ( electric)

Then the "aux" mode is running the heating elements to help the heat pump. The "emergency" mode is only the heating elements. The unit consumes a lot of electricity in either mode.

Tennessee is about as far north as you'll see heat pumps. The latest and greatest heat pumps can run relatively efficiently down to about 30 deg, while a older unit might only work to 40 deg. Below that they just don't work real well, particularly if the house isn't exceptionally well insulated.

[K191145]

I plan to go to gas/heat pump when it's time to change. We currently have gas. Should probably have replaced it already but feeding it a new part every couple of years seems to keep it happy.

 

Personally I would rather have just a straight cooling gas heat package while natural gas is more cost effective than electricty, that may change in time but with the increased resorces of natural gas in the U.S. it's hard to see. For one thing a "gas pack" is a simple system, less costly in repairs in the future and provided it's sized correct for the home, BTUs, it's plenty efficient to heat the home. Any "auxillary heat" I would recommend some type of gas logs or remote gas heater that doesn't require electricity.

[tnguy]

But a heat pump is basically the cooling part of an AC run in reverse. So it's almost a freebie and I believe it runs cheaper than gas in certain circumstances.