Hello HVAC-Talk community!
I've spent the last 2 hours on a mission to learn about and better understand the equipment I have installed in my newish home (built in Sep 2011). I am a first-time homeowner, and had this home built in a suburban community in Wesley Chapel, Florida (just north of Tampa) by William Ryan Homes.
I'm very pleased with the home and the HVAC system, but my exhaustive searches on the Internet haven't given me the answers I'm looking for regarding some of the specifics of my system.
Here's what I know about the HVAC system installed in my home:
All Lennox products:
- Elite series CBX27UH-036-230-6-02 air handler, vertical installation (air flows from bottom to top), located absolutely in the middle of the house. 3 ton, 5kw.
- Merit series 14HPX heat pump
- ECB29 Series Aux Electric Heat
- ComfortSense 7000 Tstat
I do NOT believe I have the extra humidity control device, or the UV air purification systems installed. I am interested in having the UV system installed if that isn't a huge project, but I don't think I need the humidity control device, as the humidity stays pretty constant and comfortable (according to the read out on the Tstat).
The system does not have trouble keeping the temperature at whatever I set it to. It could be 100 deg f outside, and it's always nice and cool in here. Same goes for keeping it warm in our "freezing" Florida winters.
Also, my electric bill is as I expected it would be. It's never been over $200, although it gets close in the summer. I have the Tstat scheduled to the following all year long (I work from home so the LEAVE and RETURN settings are used only for comfort - I like it cold at night, and cool during the day):
Wake - 7am - 72deg
Leave - 930 - 76
Return - 8pm - 73
Sleep - 1030 - 71
No trouble at all following that schedule.
Most of my questions stem from conflicting info I'm finding online about the specifications of my system, versus what I am noticing/experiencing as a user.
From what I've read online, I don't have a variable speed fan system. But I am absolutely certain that the fan in my AHU blows faster sometimes, and slower at other times. I used to think it was based simply on how much of a difference there was between the setting on the Tstat and the actual temperature in the room, but I'm not sure if that's the case. This is even more evident when using the heater. On HEAT, it blows slower, and on EM HEAT, it blows faster. I know EM HEAT uses the internal electric heater versus the outdoor heat pump to generate heat, so that makes sense. But still, from what I've gathered online, my particular AHU can't change blower speeds automatically.
Also, sometimes I'll hear the outside unit shut off, and the AHU will continue to blow for 30 seconds or so. Other times, they'll both shut off at the same time. This doesn't seem to have any discernible pattern. Always, the outside unit turns on a few seconds before the inside unit.
The outside unit can be pretty loud when it first turns on. But I've noticed the same behavior from my neighbors' units, so I'm hoping this is normal.
Browsing through the Installer Settings on the Tstat (I made sure not to change anything), I noticed that it's set so that both the compressor and the heater are 1 stage.
Also, the smooth setback feature is disabled. I was thinking about turning this on, as I understand it helps to reduce the abruptness of schedule changes throughout the day.
If anyone can offer some insight into my equipment and if the behavior I am experiencing is normal/abnormal, I would greatly appreciate it.
Also, I was considering replacing my ComfortSense 7000 with one if those "Nest" tstats, mainly for the wifi connectivity. If anyone has any experience with those, I'd appreciate any advice.
Thanks in advance for your time and expertise!
I've spent the last 2 hours on a mission to learn about and better understand the equipment I have installed in my newish home (built in Sep 2011). I am a first-time homeowner, and had this home built in a suburban community in Wesley Chapel, Florida (just north of Tampa) by William Ryan Homes.
I'm very pleased with the home and the HVAC system, but my exhaustive searches on the Internet haven't given me the answers I'm looking for regarding some of the specifics of my system.
Here's what I know about the HVAC system installed in my home:
All Lennox products:
- Elite series CBX27UH-036-230-6-02 air handler, vertical installation (air flows from bottom to top), located absolutely in the middle of the house. 3 ton, 5kw.
- Merit series 14HPX heat pump
- ECB29 Series Aux Electric Heat
- ComfortSense 7000 Tstat
I do NOT believe I have the extra humidity control device, or the UV air purification systems installed. I am interested in having the UV system installed if that isn't a huge project, but I don't think I need the humidity control device, as the humidity stays pretty constant and comfortable (according to the read out on the Tstat).
The system does not have trouble keeping the temperature at whatever I set it to. It could be 100 deg f outside, and it's always nice and cool in here. Same goes for keeping it warm in our "freezing" Florida winters.
Also, my electric bill is as I expected it would be. It's never been over $200, although it gets close in the summer. I have the Tstat scheduled to the following all year long (I work from home so the LEAVE and RETURN settings are used only for comfort - I like it cold at night, and cool during the day):
Wake - 7am - 72deg
Leave - 930 - 76
Return - 8pm - 73
Sleep - 1030 - 71
No trouble at all following that schedule.
Most of my questions stem from conflicting info I'm finding online about the specifications of my system, versus what I am noticing/experiencing as a user.
From what I've read online, I don't have a variable speed fan system. But I am absolutely certain that the fan in my AHU blows faster sometimes, and slower at other times. I used to think it was based simply on how much of a difference there was between the setting on the Tstat and the actual temperature in the room, but I'm not sure if that's the case. This is even more evident when using the heater. On HEAT, it blows slower, and on EM HEAT, it blows faster. I know EM HEAT uses the internal electric heater versus the outdoor heat pump to generate heat, so that makes sense. But still, from what I've gathered online, my particular AHU can't change blower speeds automatically.
Also, sometimes I'll hear the outside unit shut off, and the AHU will continue to blow for 30 seconds or so. Other times, they'll both shut off at the same time. This doesn't seem to have any discernible pattern. Always, the outside unit turns on a few seconds before the inside unit.
The outside unit can be pretty loud when it first turns on. But I've noticed the same behavior from my neighbors' units, so I'm hoping this is normal.
Browsing through the Installer Settings on the Tstat (I made sure not to change anything), I noticed that it's set so that both the compressor and the heater are 1 stage.
Also, the smooth setback feature is disabled. I was thinking about turning this on, as I understand it helps to reduce the abruptness of schedule changes throughout the day.
If anyone can offer some insight into my equipment and if the behavior I am experiencing is normal/abnormal, I would greatly appreciate it.
Also, I was considering replacing my ComfortSense 7000 with one if those "Nest" tstats, mainly for the wifi connectivity. If anyone has any experience with those, I'd appreciate any advice.
Thanks in advance for your time and expertise!
