HVAC: What's best for cold climates?

[Harvey]

I'm curious about the answer too.

My guess is if dehumid is working that well that is the way to go. Also I'm guessing if the dehumid is working well then you sized the unit properly, which is crucial.

 

[Milo Maltbie]

Question for our heat pump experts....
I've been running mine on the dehumidifier setting and it's cooling my house perfectly. Is that ok? Or, should I be running it on the AC setting instead.

What does the dehumidifier cycle actually do? Typically you chill the air to a low temperature then reheat to the right temp. If that's what it's doing you don't want to waste the money on it. In hot weather AC should dehumidify well enough. Maybe in hot weather there's no difference between AC and dehumidify.

mm

 

[gorgonzola]

I would run on AC and see if there's a noticeable difference, maybe even check with a cheapo amazon hygrometer.
You may be just burnin' juice, my understanding is the hpu is heating and re-cooling the air.. .my sinuses don't like the air too dry

 

[Campgottagopee]

I'm wondering if one is more efficient, cheaper to run, than the other.

Out of curiosity I switched over to AC this morning when I left for work. There's noticably less water draining on the AC setting vs dehumidifier setting.

One difference is in the dehumidifier mode you can't set the temperature like in the AC setting.

 

[Campgottagopee]

I would run on AC and see if there's a noticeable difference, maybe even check with a cheapo amazon hygrometer.
You may be just burnin' juice, my understanding is the hpu is heating and re-cooling the air.. .my sinuses don't like the air too dry

Ha! I just did that this morning. See my above post. LoL

I'm guessing, but would less water draining equal less juice to run it?

 

[gorgonzola]

great minds think alike lol! the a/c function will take humidity out through condensation by just running the air over the coils.
I don't have any first hand knowledge of the dehumidify mode, but my understanding is that it heats and re-cools the air to get more moisture out which would take more energy - I have no idea how much?

paging @Sbob to the courtesy desk please!

 

[Campgottagopee]

I'm curious about the answer too.

My guess is if dehumid is working that well that is the way to go. Also I'm guessing if the dehumid is working well then you sized the unit properly, which is crucial.

A buddy of mine did the install. He told me my house was ideal for a 2 head heat pump because both heads are right in line with each other. I guess a straight and short run is key.

 

[Milo Maltbie]

If you're draining more water in dehumidify mode you can be sure you are using more energy. Maybe a lot more if it brings the temperature back up to ambient.

mm

 

[Sbob]

Question for our heat pump experts....
I've been running mine on the dehumidifier setting and it's cooling my house perfectly. Is that ok? Or, should I be running it on the AC setting instead.

High efficiency units don’t always dehumidify as well . Your unit capacity is probably a bit more than you need but your fine. You may have to clean the coils and filter more often. If you see little mildew specs on the floor in front of the unit you’re overdue .

Not sure about your brand but I believe it’s just a minimal cool setting with a low fan speed.

There’s something to be said for removing the humidity rather than cooling the air temperature to feel more comfortable. If you can keep a higher indoor temperature with a lower humidity. You won’t have to set your thermostat as low to feel comfortable.

 

[Sbob]

great minds think alike lol! the a/c function will take humidity out through condensation by just running the air over the coils.
I don't have any first hand knowledge of the dehumidify mode, but my understanding is that it heats and re-cools the air to get more moisture out which would take more energy - I have no idea how much?

Ugg yesterday in an attic from 8:30 to 8:30 pm . I got quite a workout through.

paging @Sbob to the courtesy desk please!