Yes thanks and I did find some point where I need to fill gaps for lines coming into the house. Unfortunately the can of that foam stuff I had couldn't be used so off to the store for a new can. I think that will help and I did also and still have to finish rapping the duct lines that run off the main trunk. That I believe has helped. Thanks again, good info for sure.
On Jan 25, 2008, at 9:10 PM, Dale Leavens wrote: > Hi Scott, > > While heat pumps are very efficient heating and cooling devices > their efficiency decreases as the temperature decreases down to > about minus 10C I believe which is about 14F. You are getting pretty > close to those limits. This means the unit will cycle more > frequently but the fact that it does cycle off means that there is > still unused capacity. When it is running continuously you know it > is at or beyond it's capacity. You certainly can increase the > temperature and I certainly would want to understanding that this is > going to cost you more money. > > You can probably counter that by turning it further back at night > but probably not much below 60F or the cost of raising the > temperature in the morning will probably exceed the savings of > allowing it to fall at night. > > Insulation in the ceiling is the first best place to put it but you > might also want to weather-strip windows, doors and calk around the > frames where there are any gaps. > > We have a product up here and I expect you do too, it is a thin film > of plastic and double sided tape. You clean around the windows on > the wall usually just beyond the frames on the inside and apply the > tape then stick the sheet of plastic to the tape and pull it over > the window so it is stuck down all around. Heat applied from a blow > dryer causes the plastic to shrink creating an air-tight air space > between the plastic and the window and if it includes the frame it > will also help keep drafts from sneaking around the frame. You can > remove it in the spring. > > The very best gas filled windows will give you an insulation value > of about 3 maybe a little better if triple glazed but not much. The > foam behind your siding is probably about R8 by comparison and 6 > inches of fiberglass bat insulation in your ceiling is R20 assuming > it is well and snugly installed just to give you some idea. If your > windows are anything less than the best then the heat loss through > them will be higher. Generally though the biggest losses are to > drafts through small cracks around windows and doors, where the > floor meets the walls and that sort of thing and of course around > the foundation and of course around any penetrations like vents, > electrical conduits and your heat pump lines. > > Thanks, I hope this is helpful.. > > Dale Leavens, Cochrane Ontario Canada > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Skype DaleLeavens > Come and meet Aurora, Nakita and Nanook at our polar bear habitat. > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: Scott Howell > To: blindhandyman@yahoogroups.com > Sent: Friday, January 25, 2008 7:27 PM > Subject: Re: [BlindHandyMan] minimum temperature. > > This brings up a good point and a question. I decided to set the > thermostat to 65 during the day and 64 while we sleep. Now I am sure > this house could use a bit mroe insulation, but when I had it resided, > they put in 3/4 inch foam insulation prior to putting the new siding > on. My house overhangs the foundation by about two feet so I stuffed > insulation into the void cause I found and I'm not kiding, but ice on > the inside of the house one Winter between the baseboard and the > floor. I figured that wasn't a good thing so stuffing insulation in > there did help with that. I've got a fair bit of insulation in the > attic, but can't recall how much I want to say at least six inches > might be more or less, I'd have to measure. Now with that said, with > the temps around 20 to 30 degreese and lower over the last week or > two, I notice the damned heatpump cycles on and off a lot more and no > doub tcosting me more money. I wonder if it makes more sense to raise > the temp so it will run longer in the hopes that maybe it'll cycle > less or leave as is and just deal with the fact I'm stuck with the > damned heatpump and cope as best I can? I ca't get anything else in > here such as oil etc. cause the way the house is built, it would > require a lot of money to retrofit the place to accept a chimney. I > don't think my wife would stand for me lowering the temperature to 60 > degreese and having to put her coat on. She complains it cold > sometimes, but so far she's handling it pretty well. Our house is > about 1,600 square feet. > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > Scott Howell [EMAIL PROTECTED] [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
