LED shop lights

[dragoneggs]

I've seen them with condensate pumps to move water...

Our high efficiency forced air electric furnace is located in the basement and it has an small external pump to vacate the condensate water. Should be easy to install and route depending on location.

 

[5030]

Wow, I never knew electric furnaces produced condensate, always thought it was a by product of NG or propane combustion. Just learned something.

 

[KennyG]

Wow, I never knew electric furnaces produced condensate, always thought it was a by product of NG or propane combustion. Just learned something.

I'm guessing it's there for the air conditioning.

 

[k0ua]

Wow, I never knew electric furnaces produced condensate, always thought it was a by product of NG or propane combustion. Just learned something.

I would bet a dollar he is talking about the "A" coil of the heat pump when run the direction that the A coil gets cold. Not when the reversing valve runs it the other way so the A coil gets hot.

But I think you knew that already..

 

[5030]

I would bet a dollar he is talking about the "A" coil of the heat pump when run the direction that the A coil gets cold. Not when the reversing valve runs it the other way so the A coil gets hot.

But I think you knew that already..

I really didn't. I know nothing about electric furnaces other than the cost of operation around here is not economical. Back on the 60's there were a number of 'all electric' homes built here that have since converted to other fuels.

 

[k0ua]

I really didn't. I know nothing about electric furnaces other than the cost of operation around here is not economical. Back on the 60's there were a number of 'all electric' homes built here that have since converted to other fuels.

Electric Heat pumps are common here for house heating and cooling. The unit does both heating and cooling functions. For a simplistic view, think of a window air conditioner that cools your room in the summer, and puts heat in the room outside. If you turned the unit around, it would take heat from the outside and deliver it to the inside. Obviously as the "heat" outside becomes less and less, then the available heat to extract from the outside air becomes less and less, and then the units efficiency drops. Then resistor banks are switched on inside the "A" coil housing and that is when the expensive heating starts. I am guessing up in Michigan, there might be a deficit of "heat" in your outside air in January so these units might not be very common up there.

Long story short, during the cooling time of the year, as the A coil cools down condensation forms on it and runs down and must drain to somewhere. Or be pumped uphill to be gotten rid of. During the heating cycle of course, no condensate is formed on the coil as it is hot.

 

[5030]

Well, we do have an electric (220-1) hot water heater that is very economical to operate because our utility provider has a separate meter for it and can shut it off during peak demand hours if they want to. Far as I can tell, they never have but I will say the cost per KWH is on par with propane.

I don't believe they will do that with an electric furnace however.

Good friend just built a new home and put in a 'Water Furnace' and did a direction boring for the HX pipes (5 feet below grade in 2 100 foot closed loops). Seems to work just fine for both cooling in the summer and heating in the winter but I believe the backup heat source is resistance elements so it could be an expensive deal if the ambient temps are extremely low and the water furnace cannot keep up with demand. Again, don't know how they work but I assume it's a heat pump of sorts.

 

[KennyG]

Good friend just built a new home and put in a 'Water Furnace' and did a direction boring for the HX pipes (5 feet below grade in 2 100 foot closed loops). Seems to work just fine for both cooling in the summer and heating in the winter but I believe the backup heat source is resistance elements so it could be an expensive deal if the ambient temps are extremely low and the water furnace cannot keep up with demand. Again, don't know how they work but I assume it's a heat pump of sorts.

The ground loop heat pump will probably never use the resistance backup unless there is a failure in the heat pump itself. The old air exchange heat pumps would use the resistance heating when the air temperature went below 20 deg F or so, but the water system will never go that low so you won't need the resistance backup.

 

[grsthegreat]

dont bet on it. i work on several houses that have ground loop heat systems, and in winter the backup heat kicks in. mind you this is north idaho.

 

[lman]

I've had my geothermal for about 15 years. My backup resistance heat has never kicked on in northern Indiana. I believe -22 is the coldest it's been.