Aux. heat only

tucler · 01-01-2011, 05:16 PM

I have a Goodman heat pump with backup propane heat and a White and williams thermostat. This fall with temps in the 50s and 60s I noticed that only the gas heat was coming on. Circuit board looked good with no flashing lights. With a little investigating I was able to jump wires and confirm that the heat pump was working well. Tested it for several days and worked fine. Now with temps in 30 40 50s and secondary heat only it is getting rather pricey. Something is just not letting the HP turn on. All wiring looks good. Could it be as simple as the thermostat replacement? Hope I have explained clear enough and would appreciate any thoughts. Don

**beenthere** · 01-01-2011, 05:22 PM

Or you could have a third party dual fuel control some where that is bad, or its temp sensor is bad.

tucler · 01-01-2011, 05:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by beenthere

Or you could have a third party dual fuel control some where that is bad, or its temp sensor is bad.

Thanks for the reply! I don't understand the " third party" terminology. I only have one thermostat with no zoning. Doesnt most switching go through the circuit board? If there was a problem I would think I would have blinking lights. I had 4 years of trouble free operation until this fall.

**beenthere** · 01-01-2011, 07:36 PM

Third party. Means a dual fuel control not in the thermostat.

semore 102 · 01-01-2011, 11:00 PM

Sounds like a outdoor thermostate . Probobly located at the heat pump ( outdoor unit ) It is usually set at 40 degees F. Usually attached at or below the service panel. 1st stage heat, 24 volt closes the contactor at heatpump above 40 degrees. Below 40, 2nd stage heat energized, furnace starts.

tucler · 01-02-2011, 08:49 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by semore 102

Sounds like a outdoor thermostate . Probobly located at the heat pump ( outdoor unit ) It is usually set at 40 degees F. Usually attached at or below the service panel. 1st stage heat, 24 volt closes the contactor at heatpump above 40 degrees. Below 40, 2nd stage heat energized, furnace starts.

The thing is, when I jumped wires and confirmed that the HP was working ,it worked fine. Started when it should and shut off when it should. Under this arrangement the only issue was that the blower kept going and I assumed that was because it was calling for secondary heat and I had bridged over that to get the HP going. Hp just seems to work fine and gas works fine, they are just not crossing over. Don

Hixheat1 · 01-02-2011, 09:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tucler

The thing is, when I jumped wires and confirmed that the HP was working ,it worked fine. Started when it should and shut off when it should. Under this arrangement the only issue was that the blower kept going and I assumed that was because it was calling for secondary heat and I had bridged over that to get the HP going. Hp just seems to work fine and gas works fine, they are just not crossing over. Don

The outdoor sensor acts as a switch, it turns off gas and on heat pump via temp. This is old old school, there may also be a relay in the mix. This type of repair not recommended for diy. I would recommend that you buy a stat that will do this function and remove old controls. Honeywell makes a simple to install stat prestige with a wireless sensor. User friendly and will lower your energy use.

semore 102 · 01-02-2011, 10:10 AM

Did you jump it at the thermostate, furnace , or heat pump? Explain how you jumped it out.

tucler · 01-02-2011, 10:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by semore 102

Did you jump it at the thermostate, furnace , or heat pump? Explain how you jumped it out.

I jumped it at the furnace on the small thermostat circuit board. I beleive I jumped yellow to red. So heres a dumb question, Took a look at outdoor unit and there is no thermostst. Diagram said it should be on white w2 and there is nothing. Says therm. is optional. So.... how does it know when it is 40 degrees?

semore 102 · 01-02-2011, 11:24 AM

If yellow is continuous from the board to the heatpump contactor, there is no outdoor thermostat.Your wall thermostat , probably is controlling 2nd stage heat at w2. Is it a heatpump thermostat, does it have a emergency heat selection? Is the thermostat original? When it runs normally, does the heatpump run when the furnace is on, gas fired up?

tucler · 01-02-2011, 12:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by semore 102

If yellow is continuous from the board to the heatpump contactor, there is no outdoor thermostat.Your wall thermostat , probably is controlling 2nd stage heat at w2. Is it a heatpump thermostat, does it have a emergency heat selection? Is the thermostat original? When it runs normally, does the heatpump run when the furnace is on, gas fired up?

It is the original thermostat, HP and furnace and has emerg. setting and worked fine for 4 years. Without jumping wires the HP is not coming on at all. It is only burning propane and indoor therm. works fine with the gas. Goes to selected temp. and shuts off - on. I only jumped wires once in the fall when there was no demand for gas heat so I do not know if they would run together. Is w2 at HP some sort of sensor to tell temp? W2 and E are bridged at indoor therm. which I beleive is correct.

Hixheat1 · 01-02-2011, 03:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tucler

It is the original thermostat, HP and furnace and has emerg. setting and worked fine for 4 years. Without jumping wires the HP is not coming on at all. It is only burning propane and indoor therm. works fine with the gas. Goes to selected temp. and shuts off - on. I only jumped wires once in the fall when there was no demand for gas heat so I do not know if they would run together. Is w2 at HP some sort of sensor to tell temp? W2 and E are bridged at indoor therm. which I beleive is correct.

We are telling u what's wrong either your outdoor stat is bad, your dual fuel board our your lock out relay. This job is not advised for a do it yourself.

semore 102 · 01-02-2011, 05:16 PM

Remove the face on the thermostat. Jumper red ( R ) to yellow ( Y ). Look to see if heat pump comes on. You really need a multimeter to trace the problem. Do you know how to use one? Also trace the wire leaving the furnace. Make sure it is continuous, connecting to the yellow wire at the heat pump. Not going through any control device. Shut off power at disconnect , before you open the heat pump access door to check continuous yellow ( Y ) . High voltage below contactor. Safety first, SHUT OFF POWER AT DISCONNECT.

tucler · 01-02-2011, 07:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by semore 102

Remove the face on the thermostat. Jumper red ( R ) to yellow ( Y ). Look to see if heat pump comes on. You really need a multimeter to trace the problem. Do you know how to use one? Also trace the wire leaving the furnace. Make sure it is continuous, connecting to the yellow wire at the heat pump. Not going through any control device. Shut off power at disconnect , before you open the heat pump access door to check continuous yellow ( Y ) . High voltage below contactor. Safety first, SHUT OFF POWER AT DISCONNECT.

It is 32 degrees out now and I would think that the furnace will come on regardless of what I do so I will try your suggestion tomorrow. It is suppose to get in upper 40s. Yellow wire IS continuous from furnace to HP. Yes, I can read a meter, so until tomorrow...... Thanks! Don