Gas and electric cool/heat system - heatpump and air conditioners

Heatpumps are more complex than an AC unit. Yes, there is a difference between a heatpump and an air conditioner. Where the real difference lies is out side in the condenser unit. There's a defrost board out in the unit, and depending on the brand and model, one of the wires will need to be changed so that the gas furnace will not come on. The problem with this, heatpumps use the heat that is available from the outdoors and transfers it to indoor. When the temps outside drop below 50 degrees, there's not enough latent heat to transfer, thus calling the propane furnace to operate. Without the addition of the furnace, you will not be able to heat the area properly. The only way to remedy this, is to remove the propane furnace and replace it with an electric airhandler with a heat strip for "emergency heat". The emergency heat term is used when the temps drop below the temps I mentioned above and calls for the heat strips to come on.

Dont get a heatpump unless you have a lot of time and money to devote to a constant pain in the ***. Keep it simple electric heat or gas heat you will thank me later.

Heat pumps require a reversing valve for heat operation on the outdoor section, a control signal to a "O" terminal or orange wire is required for heating and cooling depending on the thermostat and out door unit requirements. The thermostat also has to be heat pump type for the system to operate heat for electric system with heat strip, two stage electric heating.

Sound like the change-over valve on the heatpump is not switching. Could be the valve is stuck, or bad. Or the thermostat is bad and will not send voltage, or is sending voltage to your change-over valve.

(Some systems energize the CO valve to cool, while others de-energize the valve).

Usually the color coding for the thermostat wires on a heatpump are orange and yellow. The yellow wire usually energizes the compressor contactor, and the orange wire energizes the changeover valve. Now depending on what your system does in terms of energizing or not energizing the CO valve to invoke heating or cooling mode is not known. You can try jumping across the thermostat to see if the CO valve is working. Or you can even try placing the stat in heating mode and see if you hear that loud "Woosh" when you switch between heating and cooling modes at the stat.

What often happens is the cylinder inside the CO valve gets stuck, especially if the system has sat off for an extended time. By workign the stat from heating to cooling (reversing the porting on the CO valve) will cause the valve to free itself up.

If you cannot hear that woosh as the changeover valve switches between heat and cooling, it is possible the CO valve is bad, or there is an issue in the electrical or control side of your system. Such as a bad base or switching circuit in your stat, or control issues other places.

is it a heater also if so electric/or heatpump.

In some models the air conditioning system and the heating system are separate and you need to switch off the aircon if you use the heater. Or if it is a heatpump system, the fan will switch off while it is in reverse cycle allowing pressure to build up and heat to be generated in the evaporator side. This is particularly true if you change directly from cooling to heating.

sounds like capasitor blew, or bug or snake or someyhing got into compressor area if outdoor heatpump or unit, could be snails also. if so might have killed compressor or something else electrical

check t stat make sure its set up for you system some stats have to be set up for a heatpump or iits gas or electric heat

If it's a heatpump, then yes the outdoor fan will turn unless the unit is going in defrost mode. But for the majority of the time a heat pump is operating in heat mode, the outdoor fan is running.

HI,

Most likely has a freon leak , or a control problem causing heat to turn on, or if you have a heatpump the reversing valve has a problem.