How would a heat pump deal with humidity better?
There are differences that deal with the reverse flow of refrigerant.
It is also very important to properly match the equipment with a heat pump.
Electric heat is usually sold separately as its sized based on the heating needs of the space.

 

Straight A/C or heat pump will have the same humidity/moisture removal ability. Over size either, and you have high humidity.

 

It's scary how many articles keep talking about heat pumps being better at getting humidity out. I fell for it. So really all I need is a cooling only system with electric heat.

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If your in an area that also needs heating. Then a heat pump will be your better option. But humidity removal will be no better then a straight A/C. But you can get a whole house dehumidifier, which will dehumidify your home for less money then the electric heat can do.

If your in an area that doesn't require heat. Then an A/C and a whole house dehumidifier is better.

 

If you like to support your electric supplier. Yes

 

What size unit are you getting, and how do you know that size is correct?
Heat pump will be a more efficient option. There are many areas in Florida that have heat pumps with no electric heat, as it’s not needed.

 

So I did a free manual J as best as I could and it suggested 3 ton. I have also talked with tradesmen that I work with and a TAB guy. So the reason that I currently have humidity problems is my AC system is nearly dead. I can't keep the house below 78 degrees in the summer so we run 2 spot coolers.

The plan is to get scratch and dent units and as more returns to my system.

Can I use a regular air handler to pair with a heat pump? Until I get seven post I can't post a link of the units. 3 ton HP and regular 3 ton air handler should work right?

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Yeah, I think maybe you need to find a better place to get your articles from.

In some cases, I could see a heat pump making the house less dry in the winter than an old gas fired furnace that sucks a lot of air out of your house for combustion. That's why some older houses in cold climates need humidifiers in the winter time. Maybe that's what your "article" was talking about. A heat pump vs. straight electric heat wouldn't make any difference though.

Usually when you have a heat pump you also need a second form of heat just in case the heat pump can't keep up. This is because the colder it gets outside, the less heat they produce. Therefore, if you were going to get a heat pump you would want to also keep your electric heat.

As rider77 said, heat pumps do need to be properly matched in order to work right. Otherwise the refrigerant charge will be all screwed from one mode to the other and it will never work right.

What type of humidity problems are you having? If we're talking about too much humidity in the summer time, that's usually a sign that the unit is oversized. This causes the unit to have too short of run times. What you need for humidity removal is a smaller capacity unit that will run longer before the thermostat shuts it off.

If we're talking about your house being too dry in the winter time, then pretty much all you can do is get a humidifier. Well, I take that back. First seal up cracks and penetrations in your outside walls and then get a humidifier.



Edit... Just realized you're in Florida, so I'm guessing that answers my question as to whether you're trying to add humidity or remove it. :cheers:

 

How do you know you need 3-tons?

 

Yes, a regular air handler can be used with straight A/C or a heat pump.

 

You need to make sure the heat pump is matched correctly to the air handler.

 

The coils are sized by seer just as much, if not more than by tonnage. It's complicated, and if it was just a straight cooling unit it wouldn't matter as much. Once you throw a reversing valve into the mix though, the correct refrigerant charge is much more important, and harder to achieve if the coils aren't a perfect match for each other.

 

So 3 ton 16 seer heat pump - 3 ton 16 seer air handler? Should be good there right? A reverse valve would just be a regular one, nothing fancy size, capacity, or PSI wise?

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I would highly recommend getting a qualified hvac company who knows what they are doing to help you pick out, obtain, and install the equipment.

Be warned that if you do obtain your own equipment, you may then have a hard time finding a qualified hvac company who knows what they are doing to install it for you. Most reputable companies tend to shy away from installing customer supplied equipment due to potential warranty issues.

If you are only content with replacing your "current garbage" with different equipment that may or not work correctly, then go for it.