Hi, So I've read the rules and understand. I'm not asking for DIY advice. We purchased this home about a year ago now, right at the end of winter last year. I've run into something that is confusing, and would like your opinion on if its normal or not. Researching Ameristar and this issue has been something quite a few people have dealt with.
The Unit: Ameristar M4PH4042A1000AB
The unit has heater strip coils installed. From my knowledge, this unit is less than two years old, the house was " rehabbed" the same year we bought it.
Everything has been peachy, up until the first cold started to set in. I come from an electric furnace and have never dealt with a heat pump situation before. So the first time I saw that cloud of steam and heard a hiss, I was a little concerned. As time progressed and a small amount of research, I understand this is the unit defrosting itself before turning on to heat the home. This was the beginning of " cold season".
Being in Ohio, the weather has been wonky, Hot one day, cold the next. Anyway, I have a camera mounted above this unit, ( not intentionally) and I get an alert every time that puff of steam comes about, which was at least 30-40 times a day.
A few months in, I didn't notice it right away but those notifications stopped. When I really noticed it was when I was outside, and noticed the unit had about 6" of ice in the bottom ( inside the unit, and around the bottom of the coils, solid ice, not frost kinda melting out around the bottom) While the rest of the coils( the part above the solid ice) had about 2-3 inches of ice around them on the outside of the coils. At the same time, the electric bill for this month was at least $150 more than normal, even though the month prior was just as cold.
This is when I realized I wasn't receiving those notifications anymore, and also realized I haven't heard the hiss in quite awhile. I turned off the breakers and used warm water to melt everything away, and turned it all back on and have been watching it. Not once, Have I noticed it do this defrost cycle again.
Today, I go out and the whole unit is covered in frost, again with 2-3 inches of solid ice in the bottom of the entire unit/coils. This time, I turned on the manual defrost switch and when there was a call for heat, it defrosted first, melting away quite a bit of the frost/ice first.
I understand that this unit will not call for a defrost unless certain conditions are met. However, from my perspective:
Higher electric bill
Not noticing defrosting over a period of about a month, and not remembering or alerts showing it for the last two months of a defrost cycle.
manually having to rid of the frost/ice
The unit seems to run constantly now, and the house is generally colder.
Last night, I got sick of it and turned it on Emergency heat. Lo and behold, the whole house is a decent temperature, and watching the thermostat, the unit isn't turning on nearly as much, from what I gather at least half as much. The other thing I've noticed, I don't know if it should ever use the heat strips on it's own or not. Even when it was 10 degrees out it did not, unless It's turned on Emergency heat, Is that normal?
Like I said when I manually switched the unit over to defrost, it did defrost once. I have a thermometer outside and even when the temperature is below 30, ( basically all night) the unit never defrosts now when running on normal heat mode. The LED shows " normal" ( not blinking).
I know I'm left in the dark in understanding why it wouldn't go into defrost mode automatically, vs working manually, if that is indeed an issue.
Overall, does this sound normal?
The Unit: Ameristar M4PH4042A1000AB
The unit has heater strip coils installed. From my knowledge, this unit is less than two years old, the house was " rehabbed" the same year we bought it.
Everything has been peachy, up until the first cold started to set in. I come from an electric furnace and have never dealt with a heat pump situation before. So the first time I saw that cloud of steam and heard a hiss, I was a little concerned. As time progressed and a small amount of research, I understand this is the unit defrosting itself before turning on to heat the home. This was the beginning of " cold season".
Being in Ohio, the weather has been wonky, Hot one day, cold the next. Anyway, I have a camera mounted above this unit, ( not intentionally) and I get an alert every time that puff of steam comes about, which was at least 30-40 times a day.
A few months in, I didn't notice it right away but those notifications stopped. When I really noticed it was when I was outside, and noticed the unit had about 6" of ice in the bottom ( inside the unit, and around the bottom of the coils, solid ice, not frost kinda melting out around the bottom) While the rest of the coils( the part above the solid ice) had about 2-3 inches of ice around them on the outside of the coils. At the same time, the electric bill for this month was at least $150 more than normal, even though the month prior was just as cold.
This is when I realized I wasn't receiving those notifications anymore, and also realized I haven't heard the hiss in quite awhile. I turned off the breakers and used warm water to melt everything away, and turned it all back on and have been watching it. Not once, Have I noticed it do this defrost cycle again.
Today, I go out and the whole unit is covered in frost, again with 2-3 inches of solid ice in the bottom of the entire unit/coils. This time, I turned on the manual defrost switch and when there was a call for heat, it defrosted first, melting away quite a bit of the frost/ice first.
I understand that this unit will not call for a defrost unless certain conditions are met. However, from my perspective:
Higher electric bill
Not noticing defrosting over a period of about a month, and not remembering or alerts showing it for the last two months of a defrost cycle.
manually having to rid of the frost/ice
The unit seems to run constantly now, and the house is generally colder.
Last night, I got sick of it and turned it on Emergency heat. Lo and behold, the whole house is a decent temperature, and watching the thermostat, the unit isn't turning on nearly as much, from what I gather at least half as much. The other thing I've noticed, I don't know if it should ever use the heat strips on it's own or not. Even when it was 10 degrees out it did not, unless It's turned on Emergency heat, Is that normal?
Like I said when I manually switched the unit over to defrost, it did defrost once. I have a thermometer outside and even when the temperature is below 30, ( basically all night) the unit never defrosts now when running on normal heat mode. The LED shows " normal" ( not blinking).
I know I'm left in the dark in understanding why it wouldn't go into defrost mode automatically, vs working manually, if that is indeed an issue.
Overall, does this sound normal?
source https://hvac-talk.com/vbb/showthread.php?2226508-Ameristar-Package-unit-not-defrosting-correctly&goto=newpost
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