Neighbors outside hvac unit never turns off

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T

The motor guy

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My guess is it's the heater cause it's about 55 degrees outside right now, but I don't understand how it never shuts off. It will run all night. Does that mean they keep it at 80 degrees where it never shuts off? They must pay $600/month for an electric bill.
 
Heat pump. Used in many mild climate areas. The unit has a reverse flow valve that makes the inside evaporator start heating while the outside condenser rejects cold air. Running this setup uses less electricity than an electric furnace. When the heat pump can't come up with enough heat the thermostat goes into auxiliary mode and uses the electric furnace too. It may utilize a gas furnace instead of an electric one.
I'm sure there are members here that can explain it more elegantly than me, but that's the jist of it. I prefer a straight out A/C with a old school gas furnace to handle my climate control needs. But I'm up (high altitude) where the climate routinely goes into the teens at night. If I had a heat pump it'd go right to aux mode, which is terrible on the electric bill.
 
What vanos said...

...plus they could be low on refrigerant, or have their indoor temp set really high, as you mentioned. Even in aux heat (electric or gas backup) the outdoor fan and compressor will run non-stop until the thermostat is satisfied. 35-55 degrees outside is great heat pump weather...
 
Originally Posted by double vanos
Heat pump. Used in many mild climate areas......... I prefer a straight out A/C with a old school gas furnace to handle my climate control needs.......

This ^^^^^^^^

I had a heat pump / A/C unit in my home in Lake Havasu City, Az. And I'll never have another one. It's the worst of both worlds. They are expensive to run, (just like an A/C unit is), and you never get hot air out of them. They run and run when it's cold out, (just like your neighbors), and never deliver hot air out of the ducts. Barely luke warm air came out of the thing. And the colder it got, the worse it worked. I was stuck with it because natural gas was not available in my area.

When we moved into this house it had A/C, but with a gas fired heater. It's excellent, and can raise the indoor temp 10 degrees in just a few minutes. Not to mention it's much cheaper to run. My heat pump was so bad I thought there was something wrong with it. But all my neighbors had the exact same performance, (or rather lack of it), from their units. We eventually bought a couple of electric space heaters to compensate for the worthless performance of the heat pump. They warmed the house quicker, and they were much cheaper to run.
 
Been running same HVAC for 20 years heating/cooling 2500 sq feet all elec house. Elec bill rarely gets over $200, often much less. Winter temp is kept at about 72, summer a bit higher.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted by motor_oil_madman
My guess is it's the heater cause it's about 55 degrees outside right now, but I don't understand how it never shuts off. It will run all night. Does that mean they keep it at 80 degrees where it never shuts off? They must pay $600/month for an electric bill.



It's probably not been properly maintained as well. Wonder if the filter is clogged. How well are those houses insulated and how old are they?

I'm sure there are also a ton of leaks in the structure and ducts work etc.
 
We have five(5) 12,000 BTU (1 ton) heatpumps and they are always On. Completely silent inside and outside. The outside compressor/condenser unit simply moves grass blades as the fan spins but produces no sound.

We keep house at 20 C (mo even when outside is high 30's (90 f')

All units are DC inverters. As are our swimming pool pump (which also always runs) and well pumps.
 
Originally Posted by Nick1994
Maybe the fan is set to On and not Auto.

Do you see the condenser fan running?


Should have nothing to do with the condenser unit . Only controls the indoor fan .
 
Originally Posted by henni
We have five(5) 12,000 BTU (1 ton) heatpumps and they are always On. Completely silent inside and outside. The outside compressor/condenser unit simply moves grass blades as the fan spins but produces no sound.

We keep house at 20 C (mo even when outside is high 30's (90 f')

All units are DC inverters. As are our swimming pool pump (which also always runs) and well pumps.


Are they mini-splits ?
 
We use a combo unit here in North Central Fl and love it. Heat pump and A/C combo, keeps the house 72* all winter (and yes we do see quite a few nights in the high 20's around here).

Mine is a huge Carrier 5 ton 20 seer, 2400 sq ft home. Electric bill averages $200
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted by NYSteve
Unless you're paying their bill I don't see why you care...



Very well stated. Could not agree more
wink.gif
 
Originally Posted by NYSteve
Unless you're paying their bill I don't see why you care...


I disagree- it can be a nuisance if loud. Out of respect
he should at least contact them in case it is having issues.
 
Originally Posted by NYSteve
Unless you're paying their bill I don't see why you care...


What a backwards statement!

The OP is likely curious about the operation and theory behind its apparent constant use, not necessarily his neighbor.

I find discussions in threads like this interesting. If you don't, then why not refrain from posting and move on to the next thread that does interest you?
 
Originally Posted by double vanos
Heat pump. Used in many mild climate areas. The unit has a reverse flow valve that makes the inside evaporator start heating while the outside condenser rejects cold air. Running this setup uses less electricity than an electric furnace. When the heat pump can't come up with enough heat the thermostat goes into auxiliary mode and uses the electric furnace too. It may utilize a gas furnace instead of an electric one.
I'm sure there are members here that can explain it more elegantly than me, but that's the jist of it. I prefer a straight out A/C with a old school gas furnace to handle my climate control needs. But I'm up (high altitude) where the climate routinely goes into the teens at night. If I had a heat pump it'd go right to aux mode, which is terrible on the electric bill.


My heat pump runs down to 15°F before it switches to auxiliary heat, and is capable of running down to 5°F. My auxiliary heat is a gas (propane) furnace.
 
Originally Posted by gathermewool
Originally Posted by NYSteve
Unless you're paying their bill I don't see why you care...


What a backwards statement!

The OP is likely curious about the operation and theory behind its apparent constant use, not necessarily his neighbor.

I find discussions in threads like this interesting. If you don't, then why not refrain from posting and move on to the next thread that does interest you?



Yep. Coincidentally they moved out yesterday , so I don't hear it running now. It was a rent house and yes it was a pretty loud unit.
 
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