41 Year Old York Heat Pump

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Aug 16, 2019
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It was 24℉ at 4am today, and at 6:30am it was 15℉, and at 8am it was about 11℉.
It seems to be holding at 10℉ at 12:30pm.

My 41 year old York heat pump struggles at temps under 32℉ and can't keep the house at 70℉,
It's now about 64℉ in the house, (even though I turned the thermostat up to 72℉) which really isn't too bad.
I'm dressed up more and drinking warm water and hot soups.
I'm running a small ceramic heater. I also have a radiant quartz heater that I haven't used yet.
It heats very well at temps over 32℉ and it cools nicely in hot weather.
At temps under 32℉ it seems to stay in defrost mode a lot, and when it does it tends to blow cool air into the house.
I could replace the whole system for $6,000 or deal with it the way it is.

I was thinking of getting a bigger heater to use on days like this but I'll probably be OK with what I have.
I had this old heat pump worked on last summer for $325 because it wasn't working right and it's been fine ever since with the exception of the below 32℉ issue.
 
It’s amazing what two 1500 watt heaters can do in a few select rooms. I have a sun room that doesn’t get enough heat when it’s cloudy and cold outside, like -5 deg F. It just has too many square feet of windows. I keep a 1500 watt heater in the room and close the door to it. The 1500 watts is pretty much the limit on a 15 amp breaker of a normal household outlet and the heater keeps the temp at 70 F. It’s thermostatically controlled and only come on when heat is needed.

For bedrooms I recommend oil filled convection heaters. They are pretty much silent and one 1500 W heater can normally heat a room. For the short duration of the cold spell, they normally can get you through.

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6k to replace the system is kick in the nads. Maybe look for someone else who can repair or service it and explain how it worked before and that it was serviced a while back but still has an issue. Might help them figure something out.

In all honesty running a cheap element heater for a small part in the year isn't gonna cost you a ton compared to a system replacement with it's small energy savings. I'd just band aid it by using heaters for a while longer.
 
As you are currently experiencing, heat pumps are less efficient the colder the temperatures outside. When it's very cold, your space heaters (which are technically 100% efficient) will probably cost less to operate for the amount of heat they provide than your old heat pump.
 
A quick google search indicates a new heat pump has a life span of 10 to 15 years. And given they way they work they will still have issues in below frizzing temps.

You would be trading a great unit for junk and paying for the privilege.

Depending on your climate I would consider one of these in addition to what you have.

 
I didn't know a heat pump could even work at 32F?

All I can say is a hvac system should be designed for what it's going to be asked to do.

My uncle installs them, and told me, if they say you need a 3 ton, get a 4 ton.

Bad answer.

Unless I'm in Phoenix, that's going to cause the condenser to run so little, we're all going to be uncomfortable. With AC, people are comfortable when humidity is removed. If a 3 ton is coming out, the duct work may be insufficient for a 4 ton. Anyway, I always thought 40F was the coldest that a heat pump could be effective.
 
Let me ask you something.
I hope it's not a dumb question but should I try running my heat pump at a higher thermostat temp?
I have a feeling it won't heat the house any more than 64*F anyway.
I have it on 72*F now.
 
Anyway, I always thought 40F was the coldest that a heat pump could be effective.
Mine heats nicely at 40*F as well as down to 32*F.
Below that, not so much.
Maybe I should turn off the heat pump when it's below freezing and run only space heaters, or maybe not.
My house is about 970 sq ft.
 
I live in the Phila area, and a house our friends rented has a heat pump, and oil heat. I know that if the outside temp is below 40, they need to use the oil heat. We're not even sure why there's a heat pump, as most up here have furnaces....that's why I don't think a heat pump is effective at 32F, but I've never had one...
 
It was 24℉ at 4am today, and at 6:30am it was 15℉, and at 8am it was about 11℉.
It seems to be holding at 10℉ at 12:30pm.

My 41 year old York heat pump struggles at temps under 32℉ and can't keep the house at 70℉,
It's now about 64℉ in the house, (even though I turned the thermostat up to 72℉) which really isn't too bad.
I'm dressed up more and drinking warm water and hot soups.
I'm running a small ceramic heater. I also have a radiant quartz heater that I haven't used yet.
It heats very well at temps over 32℉ and it cools nicely in hot weather.
At temps under 32℉ it seems to stay in defrost mode a lot, and when it does it tends to blow cool air into the house.
I could replace the whole system for $6,000 or deal with it the way it is.

I was thinking of getting a bigger heater to use on days like this but I'll probably be OK with what I have.
I had this old heat pump worked on last summer for $325 because it wasn't working right and it's been fine ever since with the exception of the below 32℉ issue.
Why not add some heating strips to your air handler ?
If not feasible i would stick with the space heaters.
 
64F is what my wife has the thermostat set to these days. She's ehhh....going through the change.

Just had a Bosch IDS 2.0 heat pump put in 2 years ago. Easily produces heat down to 10F and below that it will make heat with very long run times. It's rated down to -5F and I've tested down to 5F. We have a dual fuel setup so my switchover point these days is 15F to minimize using oil. You certainly got your money's worth! If you want to keep it I think they make heat strips which we did not add since we also have oil.
 
I live in NE Tennessee, USA.
Tennessee isn't always cold same as here in Texas. Just continue using a space heater until the system really can't be repaired once you get a different opinion from someone else who preferably does more heat pumps than conventional and after it then completely fails. The ancient system that's in my rental home was from the mid 80's and finally conked out enough to where it wasn't worth repairing in 2017. Then i swallowed the pill for a new one but i did keep it running beyond what one guy said because i found another guy with more experience that fixed it better in 2010. Lasted me another 7 years.
 
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It was 24℉ at 4am today, and at 6:30am it was 15℉, and at 8am it was about 11℉.
It seems to be holding at 10℉ at 12:30pm.

My 41 year old York heat pump struggles at temps under 32℉ and can't keep the house at 70℉,
It's now about 64℉ in the house, (even though I turned the thermostat up to 72℉) which really isn't too bad.
I'm dressed up more and drinking warm water and hot soups.
I'm running a small ceramic heater. I also have a radiant quartz heater that I haven't used yet.
It heats very well at temps over 32℉ and it cools nicely in hot weather.
At temps under 32℉ it seems to stay in defrost mode a lot, and when it does it tends to blow cool air into the house.
I could replace the whole system for $6,000 or deal with it the way it is.

I was thinking of getting a bigger heater to use on days like this but I'll probably be OK with what I have.
I had this old heat pump worked on last summer for $325 because it wasn't working right and it's been fine ever since with the exception of the below 32℉ issue.

Well...yeah.

This is how a 41 YR heat pump with no heat strips is going to work during a cold snap.

At 41 years old someone in the household needs to be provisioning for a replacement/ upgrade.

In your situation Id use kerosene heaters -way more BTU. Easy to fuel. The Japanese units are especially nice.
 
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In your situation Id use kerosene heaters -way more BTU. Easy to fuel.
No way. I don't tolerate petrochemicals indoors at all but thanks for the idea.
I would want any more heaters to be electric.
I've never heard of heat strips and my HVAC man never seemed to mention them.
 
I'm going to ask this again because it hasn't been answered yet :

Let me ask you something.
I hope it's not a dumb question but should I try running my heat pump at a higher thermostat temp?
I have a feeling it won't heat the house any more than 64*F anyway.
I have it on 72*F now.
 
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