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INTRODUCTION
Your Heat Pump system is a complete heating and cooling system and is
designed to give you many years of comfort. Even so, you must learn to live
with it. Any heating and cooling system has its limitations any any equipment
will function more effectively and be better able to give you the comfort you
expect if the family knows and follows the proper procedure.
The purpose of the OWNER'S GUIDE is to acquaint you with your Heat
Pump, with heating and cooling in general, and to suggest some procedures
which, if followed, will allow your system to function more effectively.
A Heat Pump is considered by many people to be the ultimate in efficient,
economical, modern home air conditioning. Living with a Heat pump can be
pleasant and comfortable, but comfort is a subjective thing.
misunderstandings develop as to what a Heat Pump system will do.
While reading through this booklet, it is useful to keep in mind that a Heat
Pump is designed for efficiency of operation as well as to provide comfort. In
many respects the heating operation of a Heat Pump is quite different than
other systems.
In this booklet we will try to explain the operation of the system with respect
to how it feels to live with and also with respect to how it can be most
effectively used.
THE HEAT PUMP COOLING CYCLE
Many people condemn a home air conditioning system because it doesn't
keep the rooms as cool and comfortable in hot, muggy weather as they think
it should. This may be unfair. Any residential cooling system has definite
limitations. It is the reverse of the heating system. Family living habits that
help the heating system are arch enemies of a cooling system. The Heat
Pump delivers heat into the room and the extraneous heat that is created
within the house form electric lights, cooking, the TV set, etc., helps to heat
the rooms. Just that much less is required from the Heat Pump in the heating
cycle.
Cooling is just the reverse. The cooling equipment removes heat from the
house and any extra heat released in the rooms from these same sources
will make the room air warmer and place an additional burden upon the
equipment. Further, with heating, we are primarily concerned with the
thermometer temperature and relative humidity (the amount of moisture in
the air). Relative humidity is an important factor in the comfort cooling and
the removal of moisture from the air is essential.
The effect of humidity upon comfort can be illustrated by a familiar outdoor
condition. There are days when the temperature is relatively high, yet it is
comfortable because the air feels "balmy". This is because the relative
humidity is low. There are other days when the temperature is about the
same but there is discomfort from a "muggy" feeling and perspiration does
not dry on the skin. This is because the humidity is high. The same
condition can exist indoors. The air must be both cool and relatively dry for
comfort.
There is nothing very mysterious about the operation of a cooling unit. The
theory in home air conditioning is the same as that used in the electric
refrigerator in your kitchen. Room air is drawn into the cooling unit by a fan,
first passing through a filter that removes most of the dirt, dust and pollen.
It next passes over the surface of a coil that is cooled by a refrigerant
circulating through the inside of the coil. Here the temperature of the air is
reduced and then discharged through ducts and registers into the rooms.
When this air passes through the coil, it also loses some of its moisture which
collects upon the coil surfaces in the form of water and is wasted to the sewer
by a condensate drain. Your unit is designed to remove the maximum
amount of heat and moisture: however, you should never lose sight of the
fact that there are definite limits on its capacity to do either.
Since the purpose of the cooling is to remove heat from the inside of the
house, the first step should be to keep as much heat as possible from
entering the house. Heat enters the house through walls heated by outdoor
air and the sun. It comes in through the ceiling from the roof or attic above.
When the temperature outside is 90 degrees, it is very possible for your attic
temperature to reach 130 degrees if it is not properly ventilated. You should
have cross ventilation to remove the excessive heat. An attic fan may be
added at one end of the attic to give the ultimate in attic ventilation. The fan
may be thermostatically controlled, or it may be manually controlled by you.
Glass areas exposed to the sun are responsible for a very substantial amount
Often
of the heat that enters a house. The sun not only heats the glass but also all
the surfaces indoors that it shines upon. The most effective way to eliminate
this heat is to keep the sun off the glass area and windows. A roof overhang
of two or three feet on the south side of the house will effectively shade the
windows on that side. Exterior awnings and sun shades will offer partial
protection on the east and west sides, and the fewer the window on these two
sides of the house the better. Tall shrubs and plantings, a vine covered trellis
or a garden wall are particularly effective. Screen shades, Venetian blinds
and heavy draperies will also help. A few trees that shade the house are of
value.
Some of these protective methods will be difficult to provide on an existing
house, be every one that is practical should be used for comfort and for
operating economy. As a matter of information, even the orientation of the
house on the lot can mean much to the cooling system.
A temperature of seventy-six to seventy-eight degrees is preferred by most
people. You may select a lower temperature setting if you wish and you will
probably have that temperature a good portion of the time. However, do not
be disappointed if the temperature gets a few degrees warmer during the
very hot afternoon. Most residential systems are designed for a maximum
cooling that will maintain the indoor temperature 30 degrees below the
normal outdoor temperature and they cannot do much better than that.
We have already learned that the function of the air conditioning system is to
remove both heat and moisture from the home. When it is extremely hot and
"muggy" any residential air conditioning system has to work hard to obtain the
differential between indoor and outdoor temperature mentioned in the
paragraph above.
It naturally follows that on hot, "muggy" days, any additional heat and
moisture that is released within the house will place an additional burden on
the cooling system and may even be the accused of inadequate cooling.
This is where you must learn to live with the cooling system and realize its
limitations.
We have outlined in the following paragraphs several recommendations on
how to reduce heat and moisture released within the house.
Families living in air conditioned houses have better appetites than those in
homes which are not air conditioned. Also, cooking releases a large amount
of heat and moisture. A kitchen range with all burners operating can release
more heat into the home than a two or three ton cooling unit can remove if it
did nothing else. A kitchen ventilating fan should always be running while
cooking is in progress. A kitchen window should be slightly open to replace
the air the fan moves out. Mopping floors, washing furniture and other
cleaning operations, requiring water, will release moisture into the air as the
wet surfaces dry. These operations should be done on a cool day or at
during the coolest part of a warm day, when the full cooling capacity of the
equipment is not required.
Laundry, including baby clothes and lingerie, should never be dried indoors
when cooling. The water released from the clothes enters the air and then
must be removed by the cooling equipment.
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