How to use heat pump before furnace?

[JM0397]

Newbie question:
How does one cycle between the heat pump and furnace?
On shakedown trip now, it was chilly around 40 last night. I realize this is the end point for heat pump to work. However, our rig is firing up the furnace for heat every time, not heat pump at all.
I understand there’s a way to set the Coleman Mach unit to run heat pump preferred first, and then furnace as a backup.
I checked control panel, thermostat, etc - no obvious answer like with the water heater!
How/where does one configure this?

 

[Second Chance]

We didn't option the heat pump, so I have no personal experience with this setup. Did you look through the stack of paperwork in the pouch that came with your rig for a manual that covers the heat pump and thermostat?

Rob

 

[bertschb]

On our unit, you have to set the thermostat to no more than about 3 degrees higher than the current temp inside. So, if it's 65 inside, we can set electric heat to 68 and the heat pump will start. But, if we set the thermostat to 72, gas heat will start. As the temp warms up inside, I keep adjusting the thermostat upwards by a degree or two but no more than 3 degrees higher than current inside temp. That's how ours works. Hope that makes sense...

 

[JM0397]

I checked the manuals and all the component literature, as well as Airexcel’s FAQ page - nada. Electric over gas option is mentioned on several items but it never says how this works or how to set. In my residential setup with a heat pump, there are settings on the thermostat to control this. But the little black Airxcel thermostat doesn’t have more than just “heat” on the heat options.
As Brian says above, it should kick over in theory, but it keeps going to furnace every time - I can hear the furnace fire up and blow, and, of course, it’s obvious when the heat is coming from the lower not upper vents!
Gonna call GD support now. Suspecting something is mis-wired or maybe wrong thermostat installed.

I can always just turn the gas off, right?


Thanks guys!

 

[bertschb]

So if your thermostat is set to Heat/Electric and your inside temp is 68 and you set the thermostat to 70, the heat pump (A/C) doesn't start up?

 

[JM0397]

We didn't option the heat pump, so I have no personal experience with this setup. Did you look through the stack of paperwork in the pouch that came with your rig for a manual that covers the heat pump and thermostat?

Rob

What you said here was the main clue.
I said to DW Optional??? I swear I thought, for no reason other than it made sense in my own mind, that it’s a standard feature.
Called GD and confirmed, we do not have one installed so I suppose this explains why it won’t come on... and, no, it is still not a standard feature on the ‘21 310.
There’s always the electric fireplace, right?

 

[huntr70]

What you said here was the main clue.
I said to DW Optional??? I swear I thought, for no reason other than it made sense in my own mind, that it’s a standard feature.
Called GD and confirmed, we do not have one installed so I suppose this explains why it won’t come on... and, no, it is still not a standard feature on the ‘21 310.
There’s always the electric fireplace, right?

Guess you figured it out, that the heat pump is an option.....

 

[Just Krusen]

I checked the manuals and all the component literature, as well as Airexcel’s FAQ page - nada. Electric over gas option is mentioned on several items but it never says how this works or how to set. In my residential setup with a heat pump, there are settings on the thermostat to control this. But the little black Airxcel thermostat doesn’t have more than just “heat” on the heat options.
As Brian says above, it should kick over in theory, but it keeps going to furnace every time - I can hear the furnace fire up and blow, and, of course, it’s obvious when the heat is coming from the lower not upper vents!
Gonna call GD support now. Suspecting something is mis-wired or maybe wrong thermostat installed.

I can always just turn the gas off, right?


Thanks guys!

I think you got it. If there is no "Heat Electric" option on tstat you do not have a heat pump. The "heat electric" usually shows up just before the "heat" option.