Leaky Refrigerant During hot weather, the refrigerant catches heat inside your home and sends it outside. Doing this with the Nest, I was able to see how much my furnace still had to run at night to keep the heat at 60. Bless you kind person. If there's a wire in the W1 connector, make sure it says, If there's a wire in the O/B connector, make sure it says. The app will ask you to enter the wires on your current thermostat. Your Nest thermostat will then resume heating normally. Tell us more and we’ll help you get there, Your current thermostat has a switch or a button labeled “Emergency.”. The Nest itself lights up red, indicating that it's aware that it should be using emergency heat. Electric heating coils will overheat, burn out If you there are no wires in the O/B connector or W1 connector, make sure they haven’t come unplugged. So while the heat does turn on at a 2 degree difference, it will blow cool air from that point until the 4 degree swing is met. Check in Settings  Equipment. Then click Done/Done/Scroll to the end and exit settings. Therefore, if it’s below 40 outside and the auxiliary heat isn’t working, then your heat pump will just blow lukewarm or cool air. When the Nest first came out (and was quickly swooped up by Google), not a lot of people were sure what to do with it. The default is always use. Follow these simple tips to keep everything working correctly: Schedule preventative maintenance every six months. The home temperature raises to a point just short of the thermostat set point and then the auxiliary heat turns off as soon as possible. The bill is much higher than last year. Therefore, a heating system stuck in AUX heat will run up an energy bill. My heat pump will now always run AUX heat whenever the outside temp is below 30, use assisted AUX heat from 30-40, and use only the compressor above 40. Check to make sure that your O/B wire is fully inserted. For example, if your AUX lockout temp is 40ºF or 4.4ºC, then AUX heat will come on when the outdoor temperature drops below 40ºF or 4.4ºC. The heat pump balance setting may make a difference: https://nest.com/support/article/What-is-Heat-Pump-BalanceOtherwise you may want to change the AUX heat connection to Emergency heat. Go to the troubleshooting section below for the correct settings. My heat pump works pretty well as long as it isn't below 30 outside. You’ll also need to tell your Nest thermostat which wire will be used for Emergency Heat. Heat Pump Stuck in Aux Heat Mode. If your house is never getting much past the target it may think it needs to keep heating. If the home temperature goes down one, or sometimes two degrees, this causes the thermostat to bring on the auxiliary heat for a very short boost to supplement the heat pump. Which is 1.5 to 2 degrees lower than thermostat set point - the electric heat or auxiliary heat would then come on to make up the temperature difference. On the Nest Thermostat: Push the Thermostat > Turn the outside dial clockwise to Mode > Push the Thermostat again to select to turn the heat on or off, depending on which setting it is on. I assume that the heat pump's "emergency heat" (or maybe "auxiliary heat"?) So it relies on an auxiliary (AUX) heat coil (like the ones you see in a toaster) or a furnace to heat your home. I set this at 40, but might lower this as well after testing. Double check your wiring diagram and that the wires are in the correct connectors on your Nest thermostat. If Emergency Heat isn't working after you’ve finished installation, or there's no Emergency Heat option for your Nest thermostat: If you’re sure your system has emergency heat, double check the Star  connector’s setting. The problem is when the temp drops 2 degrees below the desired temp and the heat turns on, it simply blows cool air until that 4 degree spread is hit which then kicks on the Aux heat. Auxiliary heat uses electric resistance heating, which is much less efficient than your heat pump. This includes auxiliary heating system components. The auxiliary heat setting is more energy and cost-efficient than emergency heat. This is the AUX lockout temp that is controlled by Heat Pump Balance. It shuts off the compressor and uses only AUX heat when the outside temp is below this number. Setting the lockout temperature is important if you want to minimize the use of AUX heat. After setting a temp click Done/Confirm. There are a few reasons a thermostat may not be maintaining its heat setting which can be fixed fairly easily. This option will only appear if your system has Emergency Heat. Emergency heat is only compatible with Heat Pump systems. Important: Emergency Heat is usually expensive and inefficient. If you find that you’re using it often, contact an HVAC technician for a system check up. Nest tries to heat a couple degrees past the set point and then shuts off. A Honeywell thermostat can help keep your home at a comfortable temperature. Then it will give you a Nest thermostat wiring diagram that’s customized for your system. I'd like to just set it 3 degrees higher to 61 and let the heat pump raise the temp without the aux heat. Last year I also had a Rite Temp t-stat that did not use the aux heat nearly as much as the current honewell. Your heat pump’s manual or manufacturer says your model has it. Image Credits: Google, LIFX, Nest, Jawbone, OhmConnect, IFTTT My Nest 3 seems to ignore the aux lockout even with safety temps disabled. The correct settings depend on your Nest thermostat model: Pull off your thermostat’s display to check if there’s a wire in the Star. Your Nest thermostat isn’t set up right. 3. Now though, there’s a swath of new devices like smart cams, smartphones, and smart wearables that can make your smarthome just a little bit brainier. I frequently set the Honeywell TH8000 from 58 to 61 degrees at random times and to keep the aux heat from kicking in I have to setup the thermostat up 1 degree at a time. Looks like you're using new Reddit on an old browser. In these cases you can manually enter a higher differential to avoid the auxiliary heat coming on for a certain time or temperature difference (it is up to you what value you would like to keep it at). You can change it from the Nest app or from your thermostat. You should rarely need to use Emergency Heat. I saw some setting about when the outside temp reached X degrees, start using Aux heat. As we mentioned above, AUX heat usually costs up to 50% more than heat transfer, which means if your system is running on AUX heat when it shouldn’t be, your heating bill is likely going to be a lot higher than you’d like it to be. If you there's no option for E: Emergency, the Nest thermostat does not detect an O/B wire. Moving heat- In heat mode, your heat pump is like an air conditioner working in reverse to pull heat from the outside to inside your home (the opposite of how it works in cooling mode). Knowing the difference between your heat pump’s auxiliary heat and emergency heat will help address the question from above. Then from the thermostat itself, go to Settings/Equipment/Continue/Continue/Heat Pump/Press whatever is currently selected, Now you come to the setting: "Use the heat pump compressor when the outside temperature is above". Recently replaced my Honeywell stats (split system) with Nest stats (upstairs/downstairs) System: Heat Pump 2 Ton/all electric/with aux heat - location North Carolina Having at least a perceived problem with upstairs system and the Nest operation. I did all the correct wiring hookups and tests to confirm initial operation. Is there some way to force the Nest to immediately turn on Aux heat when the heat initially turns on? If you there are no wires in the O/B connector or W1 connector, make sure they haven’t come unplugged. Does it stop if set to 65? To limit auxiliary heat and lower your heating costs, a critical first step is to set a lower indoor temperature. Replaced the Ritetemp because touch screen went out. Once it gets close to the actual setpoint, the aux heat de-energizes and the heat pump mode of the system remains operating to generate heat and will shut off if the temperature is satisfied. The minimum is -25, and you can adjust it up to 32. If there's a wire in the W1 connector, make sure it says AUX heat. Note: If Alt heat (not AUX heat) appears, your Nest Thermostat E is configured to work with a dual fuel system. You’ll find a picture of which wires are connected to your Nest thermostat and which function they control. But that didn't seem to have the desired effect. Temps right now are around 20 at night and 30-31 during the day. However, aux heat always comes on during normal heat calls. You should verify that the X wire on the old thermostat is not a common wire. If it’s 30 degrees outside, it is unreasonable to expect the system to maintain an indoor temperature of 78 without using the heat strips. But the house just doesn't warm up until it gets above freezing, indicating that the emergency heat is never coming on. It's the max temperature to allow AUX Heat to kick on. Add a few layers to your outfit or sleep with an extra blanket to keep your furnace from working so hard. Ice has accumulated on the outside of your heat pump This is another reason why the auxiliary heat maybe going on. isn't being activated, because of a wiring problem. This is the compressor lockout option that you cannot set from within the app. I can manually force it to kick in by turning the heat up a few degrees, then back down to the desired temp once it kicks in. The best way to do this is to turn the switch to the defrost mode on your water heater. Both of these wires are needed for Emergency Heat. Press the thermostat ring to bring up the. As long as there is a spread of 4+ degrees it will turn on. Emergency Heat, also known as “auxiliary heat”, is the second stage of heat that your thermostat runs on when the temperature is too cold for your heat pump to extract heat from the outside. Auxiliary Heat. If the fan does not turn on, stop the test immediately. Types of AUX heat (and why it matters) Heat pumps have 2 forms of AUX heat: Electric resistance (default) Gas furnace; The electric resistance option is like the electric coils you see inside your toaster. But if you need to run it regularly, your system may need servicing from a qualified HVAC technician. EM heat is NOT the same thing as AUX heat: AUX heat signifies that your heat pump has automatically switched over to backup heating because temperatures are too low. You can manually adjust this in the app. Both of these wires are needed for Emergency Heat. Some heatpumps can take longer than others to warm up and finally start giving heat. The Nest Thermostat is pretty easy to use, but it isn’t so apparent how to turn off the thermostat when you don’t need heating or air conditioning on.. RELATED: How to Install and Set Up the Nest Thermostat Sure, you could just set the Nest to “Away” to stop it from heating and cooling, but that won’t work very well if you have Home/Away Assist enabled. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts, https://nest.com/support/article/What-is-Heat-Pump-Balance, https://nest.com/support/article/What-s-Emergency-Heat-and-does-Nest-support-it. turn on the fan and after a minute or two you should feel distinctly warm air coming out of the vents. Some heat pump systems include a feature called Emergency Heat that can be manually turned on if the primary heating system isn’t working or keeping your home warm enough. One option is to try turning down the target. When it gets quite cold out, my heat pump can do nothing but blow cool air unless Aux heat activates. It will then turn back on when the temp drops a few degrees below the set point. Get an answer from an expert on the Google Home Help Forum. In this video we go over the heat pump balance feature in the programming of the NEST thermostat. Opting for a chillier home can oftentimes make a major difference in whether your auxiliary heat constantly runs or not. Our suggestion would be to reach out to a professional as soon as possible. The site may not work properly if you don't, If you do not update your browser, we suggest you visit, Press J to jump to the feed. EM heat is an option on your thermostat that you can manually turn on to activate backup heating. In aux mode, your heat pump will continue to use outside air to warm your home to assist the secondary heat source. I set this to 30, but I may lower it after some testing. In case your heat pump isn't working correctly, you can select to always use alt heat.This video introduces 2 method to force alt heat to turn on.1. If it gets colder outside than the set lockout temperature, your heat pump will use AUX heat. When switching your unit to emergency heat, you’re forcing the backup heat system to do all the work. Electric heat strip - This electric heat strip is auxiliary heating (or “aux heat” as it shows up on your thermostat). Go to the first section of this article for steps on how to check. Then from the thermostat itself, go to Settings/Equipment/Continue/Continue/Heat Pump/Press whatever is currently selected Now you come to the setting: "Use the heat pump compressor when the outside temperature is above" This is the compressor lockout option that you cannot set from within the app. Your auxiliary heat, as just described, supplements your heat pump’s heat when it needs it. Your Nest thermostat will use Emergency Heat to reach your set temperature as needed until you manually turn it off. There are a few ways to tell if your system has Emergency Heat: When you’re installing a Nest thermostat, the app will guide you through installation and setup. Always follow this diagram to connect the Emergency Heat wire to the right thermostat connector. Aux heat still doesn't start until the difference between set temp and current temp is 4 degrees. When ice accumulates on the outside of your water heater, you will need to unfreeze it. The thermostat’s wires aren’t in the right connectors. I have an Amana heat pump system for cooling and heating and I'd like to disable the aux heat. Note: Normal programmable thermostats have one way to control AUX heat: the AUX lockout temperature. You can manually turn on Emergency Heat on with your thermostat. First turn off Heat Pump Balance. It's still dead, but the guy is finally coming tomorrow with a neat HVAC unit (the warranty folks dragged their feet for two months, fun!). We are experiencing longer than normal wait times for support. Then you can can have Nest in Emergency mode that skips the heat pump. But if your thermostat is not holding temperature then your home will feel cooler than it should. Difference Between Auxiliary Heat and Emergency Heat. 4) Auxiliary heat is malfunctioning Below 40 degrees, your heat pump struggles to heat your home. AUX heat turns on to keep you warm. HEAT" or "EMERGENCY HEAT". Next, open the Home app and tap on your thermostat. Select your thermostat below. It has been driving me crazy. After chatting with an online rep who had no clue what he was doing, and assured me this was not the setting I was looking for, I did it anyway and it does exactly what I wanted. It should really be smart enough to realize that it isn't able to heat and immediately kick in aux heat when it knows it's so cold outside! Emergency Heat is typically triggered when it is 35°F and below outside. You all helped me a few months back when my heat died. Your system doesn’t have Emergency Heat. heat pump balance doesn't seem to do anything other than raise the outside temp level that the aux heat is able to kick in. You’re a wonderful human being for sharing this. The instructions depend on the thermostat model you have. Now you see this option: "Use the heat pump auxiliary heat when the outside temperature of below". Once the ice on the heat pump has mostly melted, the heat pump goes back to normal and AUX heat turns off. In either case, you should have a professional assess the situation. So, if I want to minimize aux and maximize normal heat, I should set the compressor lockout to always use, and set the aux lockout to a low number? The best way to prevent AUX heat problems is to take great care of the HVAC unit. Once you're sure, you can assume that the X is the auxiliary heat and should be inserted into the AUX/W2 connector on the Nest Thermostat Another possibility is faulty wiring between your thermostat and heat pump. We appreciate your patience and understanding during this time. If you have a heat pump, it is best to increase your heat setting by only two degrees at a time to prevent your auxiliary heat from operating. Open the Home app and tap your thermostat. For the most part, you can stop the auxiliary heat from coming on by making a few lifestyle changes in your daily routine. https://nest.com/support/article/What-s-Emergency-Heat-and-does-Nest-support-it, New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. I've decided to get a Nest thermostat, and chatted with the folks at Nest … Some heat pump installations may have the auxiliary heat connection labelled as X, W1 or W2 on the thermostat. First turn off Heat Pump Balance. Discussion on Google Nest products, including installation and configuration. Your current thermostat has a connector labeled E, and there’s a wire in it. Pump struggles to heat your home which wire will be used for Emergency heat reach... 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