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GE AZ65H07DABW5 Ptacs stop heating.

Bmaint
Bmaint Member Posts: 5
edited November 2023 in THE MAIN WALL
I have 6 of the above listed PTAC units in my community and they all share the same problem. When external temps reach around 25 degrees they stop heating and usually take a few days to start heating again once external temps reach 40 degrees or so. Understanding that heat pumps don't work well or at all below 40 I have tried disabling the heat pumps and using just electric heat but the same problem persists. I have a sister community that has the same problem with these particular units. None of the other brand ptacs we have in place have this issue so I am beginning to believe it is just this particular model that wont work in low temps but I thought I would check here before tossing all of these units. This has been a problem with these right out of the box. But because these were the back up units they were out of warranty before they were installed.

Comments

  • EdTheHeaterMan
    EdTheHeaterMan Member Posts: 8,326
    edited November 2023
    Are the Zoneline PTACs connected to a room thermostat? OR is the only temperature control the one on the unit itself?

    Are there any other external sensors connected?

    Edward Young Retired

    After you make that expensive repair and you still have the same problem, What will you check next?

  • GGross
    GGross Member Posts: 1,127
    Those don't look like low temperature heat pumps to me. do these have the "boost heat" option installed that allows for standard electric resistance heating at low temperatures?
  • Bmaint
    Bmaint Member Posts: 5
    edited November 2023
    No external thermostat or sensors. Just operate them form the unit.
  • Bmaint
    Bmaint Member Posts: 5
    edited November 2023
    GGross said:

    Those don't look like low temperature heat pumps to me. do these have the "boost heat" option installed that allows for standard electric resistance heating at low temperatures?

    The boost heat is disabled because in the manual it says it wont work below 40 or something like that and I believe that's how it comes, with it disabled.
  • GGross
    GGross Member Posts: 1,127
    I think you are reading the manual backwards, more than likely the heat pump portion does not work very well below 40 F. Resistance electric heating works no matter the outdoor temp.

    enable the boost heat. What that does it stops using the heat pump, and switches to resistance electric heating. This is less efficient, but these are not terribly high end units and I doubt the heat pump works in the temperatures you are describing. As the temperature gets colder, heat pumps output less heat into the living space. There are high end modern cold weather heat pumps that have BTU ratings at extreme cold conditions, but they usually heavily advertise this. Since I can't even see what temp those units output were rated at, I would assume these are standard "mild weather" heat pumps.
  • pecmsg
    pecmsg Member Posts: 5,054
    Electric strip heat is all that's available with those below 40°F That eliminates the issues with defrost and ice forming on sidewalks.
    GGross
  • GGross
    GGross Member Posts: 1,127
    That makes sense I had not even considered that
  • Bmaint
    Bmaint Member Posts: 5
    edited November 2023
    pecmsg said:

    Electric strip heat is all that's available with those below 40°F That eliminates the issues with defrost and ice forming on sidewalks.

  • Bmaint
    Bmaint Member Posts: 5
    edited November 2023
    GGross said:

    I think you are reading the manual backwards, more than likely the heat pump portion does not work very well below 40 F. Resistance electric heating works no matter the outdoor temp.

    enable the boost heat. What that does it stops using the heat pump, and switches to resistance electric heating. This is less efficient, but these are not terribly high end units and I doubt the heat pump works in the temperatures you are describing. As the temperature gets colder, heat pumps output less heat into the living space. There are high end modern cold weather heat pumps that have BTU ratings at extreme cold conditions, but they usually heavily advertise this. Since I can't even see what temp those units output were rated at, I would assume these are standard "mild weather" heat pumps.

    Turning on the heat boost did not make any difference. I really feel these units just were not meant to work in low temp environments but this is where I stand right now. Outside temp 29 degrees, room temp in a 350 sq foot room 58.2 degrees, air temp coming out of unit 57.2 degrees. Heat boost is on and the rest of the settings are factory and insured the heat pump is on.
  • GGross
    GGross Member Posts: 1,127
    If the heat pump is on, then the boost heat strips are not working. These are essentially 2 different heat sources. I would check with whoever sold these and installed them for you to see, but it looked to me like the boost heat was an option that needed to be installed, it is possible there is still programming for them to try to run heat strips even if they are not installed. Personally I would start with whoever installed/sold them, or call the tech support line and see if the boost heat strips were an option or are actually installed. But from what you say, boost heat is on and the heat pump is still running, then you are not actually using the electric heat strips, because when those are on the heat pump will be off

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