Heat Pump

[Sir Henry]

The house in Fortine has a heat pump as it’s only continuously powered heat source. It also has a wood burning stove.

I’m concerned about a 16 year old heating system which is barely powerful enough to heat the house. The bottom has heating vents but they are in the ceiling. They don’t heat the downstairs very well but do give you a warmer floor upstairs.

It’s a Lenex HPXB15-30-230-03 and I have no experience with heat pumps.

[JEBar]

heat pumps take heat out of the air .... they work well and save money on days when they can pull sufficient heat out of the air .... it is cool heat and for many folks accustomed to other furnaces, its a significant adjustment .... when its too cold, they have heat strips .... the heat strips are expensive to feed .... most manufactures have tables that can show how many days per year the heat strips will have to be used .... from there they can determine if a heat pump is a good choice ....

[GunnyGene]

I've had a heat pump here for about 20 years. Most folks here have them, mostly for the summer months when it's hot and humid. Check the insulation in the house, good insulation will save you a lot of money on the electric bill.

https://www.energystar.gov/campaign/sea ... n_r_values

[GeoBoy]

Gene, Lenox is pretty popular but they are not very reliable. Parts are pricey and scarce. Your best is Carrier brand.

[Sir Henry]

Gene, Lenox is pretty popular but they are not very reliable. Parts are pricey and scarce. Your best is Carrier brand.

Parts! That’s what I’m afraid of. I think adding a propane stove in the corner of the master bedroom would be nice and inexpensive. The wood burning stove is in the opposite corner of the house.

All of the appliances are from 2005. I’m not thinking they have much life left. Mine lasted 32 years here but half the options on whatever it was didn’t work.

[Sir Henry]

I've had a heat pump here for about 20 years. Most folks here have them, mostly for the summer months when it's hot and humid. Check the insulation in the house, good insulation will save you a lot of money on the electric bill.

https://www.energystar.gov/campaign/sea ... n_r_values

I’ll be moving to zone 6.

[Hatchdog]

The house in Fortine has a heat pump as it’s only continuously powered heat source. It also has a wood burning stove.

I’m concerned about a 16 year old heating system which is barely powerful enough to heat the house. The bottom has heating vents but they are in the ceiling. They don’t heat the downstairs very well but do give you a warmer floor upstairs.

It’s a Lenex HPXB15-30-230-03 and I have no experience with heat pumps.

This is pretty typical in a home with a basement. Even with my high efficiency gas furnace my basement doesn’t get warm enough to be down there for any length of time. As you mentioned the heat vents are in the ceiling and are few and far in between. My reloading room is in the basement and I use one of those 1500 watt oil bath heaters when I’m in there during the winter. It does a nice job warming the room to a comfortable temp and it has no open flame or heating coil exposed which makes me more comfortable when dispensing powder. Yeah, I know, igniting smokeless powder with a heating element heater is nearly impossible but, well, that’s just me.

[GunnyGene]

I've had a heat pump here for about 20 years. Most folks here have them, mostly for the summer months when it's hot and humid. Check the insulation in the house, good insulation will save you a lot of money on the electric bill.

https://www.energystar.gov/campaign/sea ... n_r_values

I’ll be moving to zone 6.

One other thing - you've probably thought of it - electric grid reliability. We loose power here usually several times a year. Typically during a storm for a few hours, but occasionally will be down for a day or 2. Having a generator is just about mandatory, and up there in the winter you'll want one that can power your heating needs as well as various appliances, lights, water heater, and so on. Generally that means a whole house permanent propane powered genny, that will keep you alive for the duration - maybe a week or more, not a small portable gas powered one that you may not be able find fuel for. I'd check into the history of bad winter storms up there and talk to the locals about their experiences.

[markiver54]

Never heard anything good about heat pumps...just my .02

[Sir Henry]

I've had a heat pump here for about 20 years. Most folks here have them, mostly for the summer months when it's hot and humid. Check the insulation in the house, good insulation will save you a lot of money on the electric bill.

https://www.energystar.gov/campaign/sea ... n_r_values

I’ll be moving to zone 6.

One other thing - you've probably thought of it - electric grid reliability. We loose power here usually several times a year. Typically during a storm for a few hours, but occasionally will be down for a day or 2. Having a generator is just about mandatory, and up there in the winter you'll want one that can power your heating needs as well as various appliances, lights, water heater, and so on. Generally that means a whole house permanent propane powered genny, that will keep you alive for the duration - maybe a week or more, not a small portable gas powered one that you may not be able find fuel for. I'd check into the history of bad winter storms up there and talk to the locals about their experiences.

I talked to the people I was camping near and they said the entire area DEPENDS on electrical power and it very seldom goes out. They both said they couldn’t remember a time when it was out for more than an hour. Keep in mind there are dams everywhere in Western Montana and the likelihood of them all going out is near zero.

[Sir Henry]

Never heard anything good about heat pumps...just my .02

They are great in areas where it doesn’t get very cold and I’m told they are far better as a/c units. The average December/January low is 16 degrees and it doesn’t stay above freezing at night till April/May.

[dave77]

I'm in Wenatchee and our electricity provided by our PUD Dams is very dependable, very rarely is out for even a few minutes to an hour. Only time I remember a lengthy outage was around 10 years ago when we had a very strong wind storm that took down many trees. Still, power was back on the next day. I'm sure the heat pump has back up electric heat strips since they are inefficient at very low temps. It would take a pretty good sized generator to run it but if you are talking about the place on Meadow Creek Rd you would be able to keep warm with the wood stove. Are you planning on doing much traveling during the Winter?

That place is one of my favorites of the places you've shown, love the basement garage. Is the detached shop big enough for the RV you are thinking about? BTW, was just kidding about getting the $1.7 million place but that is a beautiful piece of property. Would love a place like that but even if it was given to me I couldn't afford the taxes and upkeep costs. Although I did get a call last week telling me that I had won the Publisher's Clearing House grand prize of $2.something million and a new Cadillac. All I had to do was send them $500 to release the check. They didn't think it was too funny when I asked if Ed McMahon would be delivering my Cadillac and the check.

[Sir Henry]

What are heat strips? I can park my teardrop in the garage.

[dave77]

What are heat strips? I can park my teardrop in the garage.

Electric heat coils in the air handler to provide heat when it's too cold for the heat pump.

I thought I remembered you had mentioned you were thinking of getting a larger RV for longer trips.

[Sir Henry]

What are heat strips? I can park my teardrop in the garage.

Electric heat coils in the air handler to provide heat when it's too cold for the heat pump.

I thought I remembered you had mentioned you were thinking of getting a larger RV for longer trips.

Yes I would like a larger RV but it’s not the deciding factor.

[GFK]

I have been using heat pumps since 2002. I just replace a set in 2019. The house was built in 1997, so the systems were about 22 years old. I replaced the systems, due to freon leak in an air handler. I got the systems services once a year, and the heat pumps still seemed fine. Because of the new freon law, it made better sense to change out the systems.

Temperatures may get down to the teens, with wind chills below 0F. I did notice the heat strips kicking in, when freon was low. They are like a electric heater, yet not noticeable. But, the electric bill was noticeable. At any rate, I do keep a couple of portable gas heaters around, in case of a power outage. Wood stove or a fireplace would be nice. Yet, the house does not have either and is totally electric.

[dave77]

Wind chill doesn't affect heat pump operation or the temperature of a house unless if it's a older drafty house that would allow outside air to enter. Wind chill only affects exposed skin and even then only brings the temperature of the skin down to the true temperature quicker.

https://www.vox.com/2016/1/19/10788306/ ... ll-meaning

[Cofisher]

If you are seriously considering this, look into a water source heat pump. It works better than the air type. You need a place to dump water. A pond does a grand job.

Look into it Gene.

[Sir Henry]

If you are seriously considering this, look into a water source heat pump. It works better than the air type. You need a place to dump water. A pond does a grand job.

Look into it Gene.

When it freezes I don’t think it goes that deep. When it’s 15 degrees out what is the temperature five feet down? Does the water bring earth temperature to the heat pump?

[GFK]

Wind chill doesn't affect heat pump operation or the temperature of a house unless if it's a older drafty house that would allow outside air to enter. Wind chill only affects exposed skin and even then only brings the temperature of the skin down to the true temperature quicker.

https://www.vox.com/2016/1/19/10788306/ ... ll-meaning

I can understand. Most homes use infiltration for fresh air and are not air tight. The way that I see it, that air has to be conditioned (cold or hot). The gaps in seams may not be as big as in the past. But, there are still gaps. From what I understand, it helps with eliminating the sick house situation. If one chooses an air tight house, an air supply system is probably a good idea. In either case, I suspect the air will still have to be conditioned, regardless of the type of heating or cooling system used.