AC in winter conditions, use for heating, nned advice and help.

[bmironb]

Hi,

I'm new on this forum, i think i posted in the right aree, please help me.
I bought Panasonic AC, CS-YE12MKX and CU-YE12MKX, in specially for heating functions.It's working fine on exterior temperatures that are not below +4 degrees Celsius.When is lower than this AC efficiency decreases, beacause is stopping for defrost or reverse cycle.At +1 C exterior temperature, interior temperature setted on +24 C, is capabile only of max +22,5 C, because of exterior defrost.From Panasonic producer, it should work fine with maximum efficiency untill is -5 degrees C in exterior.I thought it will be capabile at least for creating +24 C degrees inside.Now my question is that if somehow i will mount on the back of exterior condenser at 5 cm distance a heating source as heating resistance, for example a 400 w one, it will stop condenser to freeze and on the back of condenser temperature will be a little higher, will stop freazing, pulling hot air from there.I also wonder, what an AC sistem working at -15 degrees exterior temperature(description from producer), on heating inside, has in addition in comparation with my sistem that should work fine until threshold -5 C degrees ext. ? Sorry i my question/my doubt is silly.

I turned to this foreign forum because in my country/region we don't have many specialists, and i think is a highly developed forum.Please help me.

[motoguy128]

It would be better to add the heating source to inside the home. You be consuming 400 Watts addiotnal energy, to put maybe 300 Watts indoors. IT that worked efficeintly, mfgs would install heating on the units. It's more efficeint to use AC ot defrost. The AC when it's cold will consume only 100 Watts ot move 400 Watts of heat to defrost the coil.

Are you leaving the thermostat set to the same temrpature all day? Could just be that hte unit is a little small for that space, or isn't installed or charged correctly.

[bmironb]

Yes i want it to work all day, 12 houres.AC model is one with inverter, 12000btu, space 80 cubic meeters and 30 square feet, it's not small beacause it worked fine and efficient, untill exterior temperature was lower that +4 C degrees.It maintained +24 C interior at higher temperatures than +4 C in exterior, but now is stopping too often for defrost, and i thought that my ideea may work, and may stopped exterior condeser freezing, or at least increase its effectiveness.I tought all will say that is a very wrong and stupid ideea, maybe will work, i'm curious if someone tried this ? but i still don't understand what are differences between a more expensive model that in descriptions it says that should work on heating on -10 / -15 C exterior, and mine that has a threshold -5 C exterior, what is doing differently ? as i said we are not talking about temperatures below 0 ext.

[Shophound]

Heat pumps produce less heat to the house as the outdoor air temperature decreases. What you are experiencing is hitting the thermal balance point of your house. You know when you have hit that when not only does your heat pump run all the time to maintain the temperature set point, but it also loses ground. In other words, if your set point is 24°C and the unit runs all the time, defrosting often, but the indoor temperature drops below 24, your heat pump can't keep up with the amount of heat the house is losing to the cold weather. You either need to reduce the amount of heat the building loses when it is that cold, or add more heat with another source.

[bmironb]

Is there some way or added modification to exterior unit to keep up with setted temperature inside ? Or it cant work as the only heating source ? I tried what I said above ...heat with 600w radiator ; on the back of exterior coil, it still froze quickly , it was only a delay for defrost...what are you suggesting ? Thanks

[cuchulain]

as both moto suggested you need to add the heat to the interior of the home not the exterior coil. Or as shophound suggested you need to reduce the heat loss in the home, by adding insulation or sealing the home. Adding heat to the exterior coil will not help in any way at all because it's not just the fact that the system going into defrost that is causing you problems, it's just the fact that the house is cooling off at that temperature faster then the heat pump can heat it. If you seal the house and reduce the speed at which the heat exits the house then the heat pump will be able to keep the temperature much easier.

[bmironb]

Yes, i added another heat source to my home as you sugested, inside.Now i will set up AC in auto mode, on +24 / +25 C degrees, and my AC will regulate temperature inside more than heating, as will be setted to auto as operating mode, also fan mode auto, i think it will work better like this, and as producer recomands on maxim ~ +24 C inside setted, now with a second heat source inside, if setted temperature will be achieved, AC i think will stop/take a break or something, in this case exterior unit will not froze ? what heppens in this case with setted temperature inside achieved, taking in consideration that outside temperature is around 0 C or below ?