Re: A/C question

Posted by NCWayne on July 21, 2011 at 22:57:26 from (98.21.228.208):

In Reply to: A/C question posted by Heinz Doofenshmirtz on July 21, 2011 at 18:24:30:

Sounds like your asking the same question about two different things as a tractor A/C and heat system is different than a heat pump type system.

With a mobile system there are two different coils in the system, one tied to the engine coolant system for heat, and the second one is part of the A/C system and does the cooling.

Given the complexity/size of a heat pump system there is simply too much equipment involved to operate a mobile system, like you'd find on a typical vehicle, as a heat pump. In a vehicle application such as this, it's much easier to use two seperate coils. Additionaly they can get more BTU's of heat, and get it faster, regardless of the outside temp, from the engine coolant system than they could from a heat pump system. Given that it typically takes more BTU's of heat to bring an area up to a comfortable temp range on a really cold day than it does to bring it down to a comfortable temp on a hot day it just plain out works better to use the heat from the engine to do the heating than it does to engineer a heat pump system to do the same thing in the given space.

As for the operation of a true heat pump, it works exactly the same way whether it's acting as an A/C or as a heater, the only difference is that the flow of gasses is reversed. Basically you are either pumping heat out of an area to the 'outside' or pumping heat from the 'outside' and into the same area. A typical heat pump system can obtain about a 30 degree differential between the 'input' and the 'output' air temps. In other words on a 30 degree day your output into the climate controlled area would typically be something like 60 degrees, max, or 70 degrees on a 100 degree day. Granted 60 degrees isn't cold but for most people it's not exactly a comfortable temp without a lite jacket, but around 70 is considered to feel pretty good by most. That's why a heat pump system also uses electric heat strips to add heat to the air going back into the room and 'make up the difference' the heat pump system can't supply, and help warm the area to a more comfortable temp when outside temps are near or below freezing.

With those explinations, and given the way your question was asked, here's an answer to your question. In a mobile vehicle it's not gonna hurt anything at all to have the A/C on along with the heat. Like other posts have stated, on most modern vehicles, with an A/C system, the A/C actually kicks on anytime you turn on the defroster, wether the heat is also on or not. This happens because the heater only warms the air, but the operation of the A/C also dehumidifies it. Given that the heater has a higher BTU output than the A/C this means that if you turn on the heat the air blowing on the window to defrost it isn't just warm, it's also dry... and dry air just works better to remove moisture from a fogged up window.

So, a more direct answer your question about the A/C working along with the heat in a tractor/vehicle, the answer is NO, it's not gonna hurt a thing.

Now, as far as a home heat pump system goes, unless you rewire some interlocks, the electric heat strips will not work when your system is in cooling mode. Due to the way the main system itself works it can't heat and cool at the same time by itself because the gas can only flow in one direction at a time. So, in the case of a home heat pump system the direct answer is this. The heat and cool of the heat pump itself can not work at the same time. However if you were to rewire things and turn the electric heat strips on then the complete system would theoretically be heating and cooling at the same time. In that case, just as in the case of a vehicle system, it's not gonna hurt anything except that the heat pump system would just have to work harder to remove the heat being thrown back into the system from the electric heat strips.

That's alot longer answer/explination than what your question was but given the way the question was asked I figured the only real answer had to explain why things happened, didn't happem, or couldn't happen like you asked..... or it wouldn't be a real answer.........

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