Heat pump blows cold air in heat mode?

[junkman2]

Hi everyone,
I have a 1-year old GOODMAN 2.5 Ton, 13 SEER Heat Pump. When the weather gets too cold outside it blows cold air when it's on the heat mode. It seems to keep blowing cold air until the house drops a degree below the indoor thermastat setting. Then it will turn the auxillary heat on until the house warms up to the correct temperature. Then instead of turning the whole unit off, it will only turn the auxillary heat off and start blowing cold air again. And the cycle continues on and on for about an hour before it turns off.
The heat works fine when it's not too cold outside.
I usually set the heat on 72-74 degrees and today its 10 degrees F outside.

Is this normal for Goodman heat pumps? also, do Goodman heat pumps come with a external thermostat includded or is that what I need to have installed to stop the cold air?

Thanks for the help!

[BaldLoonie]

Are you sure it is cold air and not just luke warm air? Use a thermometer and check. At 10° out, the air from a heat pump will be rather cool. Maybe 12-15° above the return air temp.

[junkman2]

Are you sure it is cold air and not just luke warm air? Use a thermometer and check. At 10° out, the air from a heat pump will be rather cool. Maybe 12-15° above the return air temp.

hi, you're right...its not exactly cold air but it feels cold by the time the air hits my face while I lay in bed. When i put my hand under the vent it's minimally warm air but not cold.
Thanks

[junkman2]

is it normal that the heat pump will turn the auxillary heat off after it reaches the set indoor temperature and continue to blow air without the aux heat on (which eventually cools the house again because the air without the aux heat is much cooler than the set indoor temperature on the thermastat)?
Thanks

[beenthere]

If its a digital thermostat. Its common for the stat to show that set temp has been reached. When it hasn't. And the stat continues to run the heat pump. And cycles the aux heat as needed.

On some stats there are adjustments that can be made to minimize this.

[junkman2]

If its a digital thermostat. Its common for the stat to show that set temp has been reached. When it hasn't. And the stat continues to run the heat pump. And cycles the aux heat as needed.

On some stats there are adjustments that can be made to minimize this.

yes, its digital..Thanks!

[junkman2]

Are you sure it is cold air and not just luke warm air? Use a thermometer and check. At 10° out, the air from a heat pump will be rather cool. Maybe 12-15° above the return air temp.

Let me correct my responce from before....it was warm air at that time...but for the past 5 minutes its been blowing pretty cool air...reminds me of cool air from the freezer and my hand gets pretty cold next to the air vent. I would measure the temp but I don't have a thermometer. So it blows all diffferent temps of air ranging from cold air to mildly warm without the aux and warm with the aux heat. Any ideas on what may be wrong? My main concern is the cold air...it gets pretty cold.
Thanks

[BaldLoonie]

Next time you feel COLD air, look at the heat pump. If the machine is running and the fan isn't turning, it is defrosting. Does that about every hour in cold weather. The installer should have wired up the backup heat to come on to avoid this issue.

[skippedover]

It's a basic system by the sound. If the system is sized for summer cooling and limited heating in winter, then the HP capacity is woefully short to heat your home at 10F. What's happening is that the HP is running and supplying btu's (heat) to the home but it's woefully short. The t-stat is set to run the hp first, then the aux heat. It takes a temperature spread (differential) to cycle on first the hp, then if the temp drops further, the aux heaters (sounds like electric from you decription, though it could just as easilly have been gas or oil), which start the upward rise of air temp. The aux heaters turn off first and then just the woefully inadequate hp is working, supplying cooler air. If you want comfort through the colder weather, set the t-stat to "emergency" heat. That will turn off the hp outdoor unit and you'll live with the aux heaters and the blower should cycle in concert with them. When the weather moderates enough, go back to normal operation.

[Rusty49]

you just described a normally operating air/air heat pump at 10 degrees ODT.

[junkman2]

Next time you feel COLD air, look at the heat pump. If the machine is running and the fan isn't turning, it is defrosting. Does that about every hour in cold weather. The installer should have wired up the backup heat to come on to avoid this issue.

excellent...i think that's the problem!!
I looked at the fan and it isn't moving while the cold air is blowing. I'll have to get someone to check it out.
Thanks alot!

[SBKold]

Noone reccommends emer heat?

[Stamas]

Up three posts.