When the temperature drops below freezing there s not enough heat in the air to sufficiently heat the home with the pump alone so the backup electric or gas furnace kicks in to provide warmth.
Heat pump with gas furnace backup wiring.
This wire will also run to the air handler furnace and the condenser.
Heat pumps are extremely efficient for cooling in the summer and for winter heating until temperatures drop below 35 degrees.
Different heat pump models label the auxiliary heat terminal differently than shown.
The gas furnace would be the secondary heat source instead of using the heat pump s electric heat strip when the temperatures drop.
Consult heat pump wiring guide.
The best of both worlds a dual fuel heat pump system will provide you with the most energy efficient home heating and cooling system by pairing an electric heat pump with a traditional gas furnace.
The defrost control board in the condenser will automatically defrost the system.
In a heat pump this is for the backup heat source.
Ecobee3 manages auxiliary heating through the w1 w2 if there is more than 1 stage of aux heat terminals outputs.
This diagram illustrates the wiring connections for a heat pump system with auxiliary heating.
Whether it is electric heat strips or a gas furnace dual fuel the w terminal controls this.
To find out whether a dual fuel system is an option for your home and how you may benefit talk to your professional licensed hvac dealer.
As long as outdoor temperatures remain above the balance point the heat.
Electric backup heat standard heat pump thermostat standard air handler heat pump condenser 24 volt fan only operation common air conditioning heat pump reversing valve 1st stage heat gas electric backup heat low voltage connection some ac systems will have a blue wire with a pink stripe in place of the yellow or y wire.
Most heat pumps share the same set of heat strips for aux and em heat.
A heat pump condenses heat present in the outside air usually down to about 30 degrees fahrenheit depending on the region and the amount of moisture in the air and pumps it into the home.