181 SE Morgan Rd.
Shelton, WA 98584
360-426-9945
To get a free estimate on a new heating/cooling system, give our office a call during our office hours and setup an estimate appointment. A system specialist will come to your home or office and get the information needed to run a load calculation and figure out which system would best fit your needs.
Under normal operating conditions, the auxiliary heat is brought on automatically by the thermostat when the indoor temperature drops during heat pump operation. There are also times during cold wet weather that the outdoor coil may ice up and your heat pump will go into a defrost cycle. This is nothing more than reversing the process back to cooling mode. Cooling mode makes the outdoor coil hot and melts any ice. The defrost cycle should only last a few minutes and then return to heating mode. During the defrost cycle, your comfort system is in cooling mode and the supply air is cool. To offset this cool air, the auxiliary heat will be energized during defrost. A mist or fog may be visible during defrost.
The heat pump is effective in many applications. In all electric applications, the heat pump may consume less energy than an electric furnace or air handler using resistance heat. Why? Because it can deliver the same amount of BTUs as electric heat using less electrical input than the electric heat. In moderate climates, it lessens the need for the purchase of a separate gas furnace, as the savings that natural gas yields may not be as advantageous as in colder climates, since there is less frequent use of the furnace in milder climates. Of course the heat pump can be matched with a gas furnace where preferred. The heat pump can operate in the milder temperatures when the gas furnace may tend to short-cycle.
To determine which system would serve your specific comfort needs, give us a call and we can perform a Load Calculation on your home and then estimate the cost of operation for the different combinations of equipment.
A single stage furnace will deliver the same amount of heat and airflow no matter what the temperature outside. A 2-stage furnace with a 2-stage thermostat will begin in first stage (low burner, low airflow) and only go to second stage if the indoor temperature drops during first stage. This makes the furnace run longer, providing greater air circulation, temperature distribution, and air filtration. This also provides more consistent comfort. The second stage will only come on when the need is there and then it will be able to run longer and maintain the comfort level. The more your system starts and stops, the less comfort you will have and less efficiency due to duct heat loss. The advantage of Trane's 2-stage, variable speed furnace is it has Comfort-R™ Enhanced mode. This allows the blower to slowly ramp up and ramp down or operate at 50 percent of the cooling air speed in the FAN ON position. This provides greater humidity control, quieter operation, and maximum air circulation, temperature distribution, and air filtration.
The major components enclosed in an air handler’s cabinetry are the blower and motor, controls, heater compartment, and an evaporator coil. This is why it is also sometimes referred to as a fan coil. A standard air handler, like the single stage furnace, delivers the same amount of airflow no matter what the temperature outside. Trane’s variable speed air handler has Comfort-R Enhanced mode, like our variable speed gas furnace, allowing the blower to slowly ramp up and ramp down or to operate at 50 percent of the cooling air speed in the FAN ON position. This provides greater humidity control, quieter operation, maximum air circulation, temperature distribution, and air filtration for greater comfort.
Our XL outdoor product line has a higher cooling efficiency (SEER) range than the XB line. Some of the enhanced features include Trane's patented WeatherGuard™ top that provides maximum protection for the outdoor condenser coil from environmental conditions, a compressor sound enclosure for quiet performance, a two-speed condenser fan that improves both efficiency and sound levels, and twice the original limited warranty as the XB outdoor product line.
The heat pump is an air conditioner that reverses the process of removing heat from the inside of the house in summer to absorbing the heat from outside air and moving it inside in winter. It is effective by itself down to temperatures around 25 to 30 degrees Fahrenheit. At that point either a gas furnace or an air handler with supplemental electric heat will kick in and help heat your home. The Auxiliary Heat light on your thermostat will light. The heat pump will continue to operate during electric auxiliary heat. It will shut off when a gas furnace is energized. Emergency heat is a manual override option in the event your heat pump needs service.