How Do You Know if You Have a Heat Pump or Conventional System
Heat pumps and standard air conditioners look most identical on the outside, making it difficult to tell which organization y'all accept at a glance.
That said, with a bit of detective piece of work, you tin can quickly determine which organisation you take.
In this blog, nosotros'll share four simple methods to determine whether you take a heat pump or a standard AC organisation:
- Look for the emergency heat setting on the thermostat
- Turn on the heat and check the outside unit
- Check the labels on the outdoor unit of measurement
- Find the reversing valve within the outdoor unit
Allow's await at each of these methods in more particular below.
Have more heat pump or AC questions? We can assist. Our knowledgeable technicians can answer your questions and service your equipment if your Air conditioning or estrus pump needs repair.
Method #1: Look for the emergency heat setting on the thermostat
If your thermostat has an emergency heat setting, you take a heat pump instead of a standard Air conditioning.
Yous see, the emergency heat setting is unique to estrus pumps. It gives you the ability to switch to your backup heating source (such equally a gas furnace) if the estrus pump stops working.
Do this: Go to your thermostat and look for a button labeled "EM," "EMER," or "EMERGENCY" oestrus (pictured below). If you have a digital thermostat, these abbreviations may appear on the screen.
The emergency heat setting on a rut pump thermostat
Can't detect the emergency estrus button on your thermostat or the display? Try Method #two to verify if you have a rut pump or standard Air conditioning.
Method #2: Turn on the heat and cheque the outside unit
ACs accept in warm exterior air to push absurd inside air | Source
While you lot're at the thermostat, turn information technology to HEAT mode and then check to see if the outdoor unit of measurement turns on. If the outdoor unit of measurement turns on, you take a heat pump instead of a standard Air conditioning unit.
We'll explain.
Heat pumps employ the outdoor unit of measurement to blot heat from the outside air and transfer it into your home. Meaning that if yous have a heat pump, you should hear the outdoor unit turn on after y'all switch the thermostat to HEAT.
Estrus pumps accept in warm outside air to push warm inside air | Source
Other heating systems, such as a furnace, do not apply the outdoor Air conditioning unit at all to estrus your home. So if you have a heating organisation other than a heat pump, the outdoor unit of measurement will not turn on at all in heating mode.
Do this: Turn your thermostat to Estrus, and wait until you feel warm air coming out of the vents. So walk exterior to the outdoor unit and listen if information technology is running. If the outdoor unit of measurement is running, y'all have a heat pump.
If yous suspect your outdoor unit is malfunctioning, yous tin can use the following methods to determine whether you take a heat pump or standard AC system.
Method #three: Bank check the labels on the outdoor unit
On the side panels of the outdoor unit, you'll meet a manufacturer and/or EnergyGuide label. These labels often have data that can conveniently help you determine whether or not you have a estrus pump.
The manufacturer label
The manufacturer characterization includes the specifications of the system. Sometimes, this label will clearly land that the unit is a heat pump, or the model number will have an "HP" at the start, which indicates the organisation is a oestrus pump.
Manufacturer characterization on a oestrus pump
The EnergyGuide label
You can also look for the brilliant yellow EnergyGuide characterization on the outdoor unit. If you run into two numbers, i for a "SEER" (Seasonal Energy Efficiency Ratio) and one for an "HSPF" (Heating Seasonal Performance Factor), then you have a heat pump.
Since heat pumps provide both cooling and heating, they use both SEER ratings for how efficiently they cool and HSPF ratings for how efficiently they heat.
EnergyGuide sticker
Do this: Get to the outdoor unit and try to notice the information on the labels explained above. If you tin can't find any information that tells y'all what kind of system y'all have, write downward the model number and search for it online. You should exist able to tell whether your unit is a heat pump or standard air conditioner by looking on the manufacturer's website.
Can't locate the labels or read them because they've faded? No worries! This last method volition assist you for sure.
Method #4: Find the reversing valve within the outdoor unit
Diagram of reversing valve | Source
Finally, you lot tin can expect inside the outdoor unit to see if it has a reversing valve.
The reversing valve is unique to heat pumps. It is the part that reverses the flow of refrigerant in the arrangement, which allows the heat pump to switch from cooling to heating mode.
If y'all can see a reversing valve inside the outdoor unit of measurement, then yous accept a heat pump.
Do this: Brand sure to plow off the system so that the outdoor fan is non spinning. Then peek inside the top of the outdoor unit and look for a brass-looking device with three fittings on one side. The device is the reversing valve. If you see this valve, you have a heat pump; you have a standard air conditioner if you don't meet it.
Have more than heat pump or AC questions?
A George Brazil pro can aid! One of our knowledgeable technicians tin answer your questions and assistance you lot determine which system you have.
We tin can besides repair or install any blazon of heat pump or AC organisation. For more information about these services, refer to the post-obit pages:
- Air conditioning repairs
- Ac installations
- Heat pump repairs
- Heat pump installations
Source: https://georgebrazilhvac.com/blog/how-do-i-know-if-i-have-a-heat-pump-or-an-ac
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