BinaryBob
Moderator Emeritus
It's 36 here down south. Beats 17 below in Mpls. But my heat isnt working due to crystallization on my. Basement air fins. Any ideas on how to clear the fins?
Snow on basement air fins
- Thread starter BinaryBob
- Start date
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If you have answers, please help by responding to the unanswered posts.
Molaker
Well-known member
Hair drier?
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BinaryBob
Moderator Emeritus
Good idea but I haven't used a hair dryer for 30 years.. ;D
Molaker
Well-known member
Well, sorry 'bout that, but how much are you will to pay to clear the ice? Better yet, do you have any friendly neighbors?BinaryBob said:
John Canfield
Site Team
Are you talking about fins on basement air? If they are packed with snow I think you might have a big problem - can't hose it off because the water would probably freeze. Even if you used a hair dryer, you might have to completely dry the melted snow off the fins.
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BinaryBob
Moderator Emeritus
Yes john. Snow on basement fins. It's not snowing here, but the cold air getting sucked into the fins apparently crystallizes and turns to snow. I guess I'll go buy a hair dryer and try it.
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BinaryBob
Moderator Emeritus
Ok. Completely cleared the fins with a hair dryer. In 10 minutes showing signs of icing up again. Is this a symptom of a larger problem?
John Hilley
Well-known member
How humid is it? Where are you? At that temperature you are right on the edge of the heat pump working.
RLSharp
Well-known member
BinaryBob said:
If this is a heat pump, I was under the impression that they were very inefficient at temperatures below 39? to 40?F. My home AC/Heat Pump is set to revert to gas heat at 40?F. Perhaps it was not designed to work well, or at all, at 36?F.
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boatbuilder
Well-known member
You are correct that heat pumps are ineffective below about 38 deg. That is because that is the temp of the coils on the cold side. Your refrigerant charge may be a little low. The fins should be just above the freezing point. Also once the airflow over the fins is reduced the icing will happen faster.
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BinaryBob
Moderator Emeritus
Just checked the weather. It's 32 degrees 96% humidity. Yesterday it was 72. Leave it to a Minnesotan to leave a wake of weather disaster in your path. So.. Nothing I can do about the icing? Got 50 amp service and the propane has kicked in as well.
afchap
Well-known member
Yep, and that larger problem is that it the outside temp is too cold for the unit to operate effectively. Ultimately, it will shut down and automatically kick on the lp furnace after the inside temp falls lower than 3 degrees below the thermostat set temp. When the temp is below freezing, you need to be running the lp furnace anyway as it provides some ducted heat to the basement plumbing/tanks area to help protect those areas from freezing.BinaryBob said:
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BinaryBob
Moderator Emeritus
Thanks all for the information.
Now the rhetorical question- why did I drive 900 miles for this?
Now the rhetorical question- why did I drive 900 miles for this?
carson
Well-known member
Easy answer: heat pumps work best when you don't REALLY need heat. Should have left the North a couple of months ago. 8)
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BinaryBob
Moderator Emeritus
Yaah. I think your right. The queen just left to pick up an electric blanket. I think it's beer o'clock...
RLSharp
Well-known member
BinaryBob said:
Do you plan to put an electric blanket on your heat pump?
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afchap
Well-known member
Because it would be MUCH colder for MUCH longer 900 miles North of there? It was nearly 80 here in E TX 2 days ago .. I had shorts on yesterday .. 27 with sleet nowBinaryBob said:Thanks all for the information.
Now the rhetorical question- why did I drive 900 miles for this?
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BinaryBob
Moderator Emeritus
RLSharp said:Do you plan to put an electric blanket on your heat pump?
R
If I could find it, I would!
catblaster
Well-known member
Every one is right about a heat pump not being efficient at that temp and especially with the high humidity. If you can stand the cold air, switch the unit to cool for a short period and the coils will defrost themselves. That's what is done on a residential unit except they have heat strips that come on to offset the cold air from the grills while it defrosts.
carson
Well-known member
catblaster said:
Quite right, My residential pump froze up a couple of times in FLORIDA (imagine that) in the-winter-time. It just stopped and took a while to restart. However; my thermostat can be set to emergency heat by exciting a few heat-strips in the system. Don't know if they will do any good, Never tried them....yet.
