Need advice for heat pump (vanity)

DeLaine

[DeLaine]

I have a heat pump (Ruud) and it's normally in good working order. I had it worked on and checked two months ago, it's not low on freon. It's frozen over. I am too. I turned on the emergency heat but that only keeps it about 62 in here. This has been going on for 4 days and there's no end in sight. There's frost and ice all over the unit outside, I have been calling heating companies and no one can come yet.

I went and bought a heater from Walmart, but it isn't putting out any heat to speak of. I'm freezing. Me and the kids are wearing coats and hats, but I'm still so cold. Does anyone have any advice on how to melt the ice on my heat pump and then also how to keep it from freezing over like this? Thanks

[#1CTYankee]

I have no experience with them but the one at my parents home did the same thing, then died.

New Carrier heat pump installed and working fine for the past 10 years.

[cripplecreek]

No offense me an my Eskimo buds just wanna watch you shiver. I don’t keep my house much warmer than that on purpose.

Seriously, good luck.

[DeLaine]

Well line you and your Eskimo friends up and have fun cause I’m shivering.
I keep my house about 68 and 62 is the highest it’s been lately here.
It’s 60 right now, but I’m hoping it will go up a degree or two as it’s the middle of the day. I’ve got this emergency heater thing on there and that’s what’s keeping it even that high

[kingu]

Personally, I'd go rent a propane forced air heater from your local rental yard, or Wally World sells these for only $90. Some rental places won't know what you're talking about until you say floor dryer, but don't start with that. That should take care of the defreezing.

As for the freezing itself, your unit needs service - something is wrong with the defrost cycle, but the repairman will not be able to fix it if there's still ice there. Ask the heating guys over the phone for advice, but if it's frozen when they get there, you'll just be paying for them to stand around waiting for it to melt.

[org.whodat]

There should be an emergency heat coil in the unit, do you have a tripped breaker?

[Emmett McCarthy]

I have a heat pump system just for the second floor of my house and rely on it more for the AC up there than for the heat since the gas heat from the first floor rises. I’ve had the freon lines freeze up during summer months due to a malfunction in the defrost cycle. The best solution to that is to leave the inside fan “on” at all time and not in “auto”. In addition to the possibility of a tripped breaker, there are cartridge fuses in the disconnect box which is usually inside the house near the “air handler” part of the system. If one of those is bad, I don’t think you’ll get the auxiliary heat either. A person can pull the disconnect (which will shut the system down). An unskilled person could take that whole thing to a LOCAL hardware store - not some home center chain - where those cartridge fuses can be tested and, if necessary, replaced appropriately. If they are bad, I’d buy some extras, too. A service manual would help, but maybe you can look this up online(?) for some “look at the pictures” kind of help. I don’t say it that way to be a wise guy. I say it that way because that’s what I’d need if I’d never done it before.

[RSmithOpt]

It’s the reversing valve most likely ($200 avg.) or it’s not getting the signal to turn the compressor off / heat strips on when temps hit 35F. Also, the reverse cycle may not be long enough, which would be a bad controller board ( $239 avg.)

[shbox]

I grew up in a house that didn't have heat.

It was on property with two other houses. My job was to make sure the front porches on all three houses was stacked full of firewood....BEFORE I CAUGHT THE BUS FOR SCHOOL.

Then we got one of these....


Oh it was heaven!
Actually MrsShbox used one of those for three years before I met her not too long ago. She couldn't afford to get a heatpump in her trailer. She would wake up an hour before the kids and turn it on.

Of course, now I have a fancy heatpump that mindlessly keeps the house toasty. I think I might cut it off and hand my kids a saw and an ax, you know, build some character....make them appreciate the heatpump and the electric bill I pay to keep it on.

I hope you get yours fixed though. Sounds like its just on the fritz....BTW...don't try to deice it.

[RSmithOpt]

A good heat pump turns the blower off basically and runs the unit in AC mode a bit for defrosting, but it’s the reversing valve that usually sticks...bad solenoid usually and most are built in. They have to be removed by a a pro and then silver soldering the new one back in-line by a pro that can recover and filter the freon, pull the vacuum on the system and then recharge the lines with the correct amount (lbs) of refrigerant.

[RSmithOpt]

Good luck!!

[DeLaine]

Ok. I have no idea what you are saying Emmett, but I went and bought a kerosene heater just like the one pictured. Bought some kerosene and it’s soaking as I write.

What gets me is that I just paid hundreds of dollars to have this thing serviced in November, and one of those yearly checks done. Grrrr.
It stopped cooling in Aug and I spent many HOT days then too before i got the guy to do a temp fix (until Nov)
This never happened when I was married. Never a lick of maintanence then either. Oh noooo. The thing had to wait until I’m on my own and limited in resources.

The ice is INCHES thick.
I might as well put off the service call.
I can’t afford this heater and a service call, but I will get by now.

[DeLaine]

Thank you

[shbox]

I still use a kerosene heater for my shed/workshop. They do a really good job for a single room or whenever the power goes out....good luck.

[DeLaine]

It said let it soak in for an hour first, so I did and now it’s running. It set off the smoke alarm over and over, so I had to take the battery out of that, but I’ll put it back in soon.

It sure is a lot warmer than that $35 one I bought last night (and had to take back) which didn’t put out any heat at all.

[#1CTYankee]

Hope you home has some leaks and cracks, those thinks can put out dangerous levels of CO2.

Stay safe, crack a window too.

[#1CTYankee]

Thinks=Things.

[DeLaine]

“Those things can put out dangerous levels of CO2”

Of course!The way things are going I would not be surprised at all to find it’s really bad for us. Yes i have chinks, but i also have efficient windows. It’s sitting in an open living room/dining area/kitchen, with the opening to the den a few feet away. The bedrooms are down the hall.

I finally got someone out here, after 3 days of calling, and he told me what the problem was and what caused it and what to do if that happened again.

And now I have no hot water. I just got a hot water heater warranty 10 days ago. You watch. It won’t be the hot water heater, it will be anything else.

Do I live under a dark cloud, or does it just FEEL like I do???

[#1CTYankee]

"Do I live under a dark cloud, or does it just FEEL like I do???"

I hear you! all this stuff seems to break at the same time and as always when the finances are strained.

I hope it didn't set you back too far but those heaters are good when the power goes out, you may want to consider keeping it.

Freegards, Yankee.

[Emmett McCarthy]

I’m sorry that nothing has helped, especially as cold as it is everywhere right now. If my thoughts and direction were confusing, I apologize.