My lennox XP19 air to air heat pump is located outside. We had some freezing rain and the units drain holes plugged up causing ice to build up inside the unit to a depth of 12 inches. Does anyone know how to prevent this from happening in cold winter climates like Southern Ontario. This is an obvious design flaw for this unit.
The only design flaw was the contractor you used. Your unit should have been mounted on"legs"/"pump-ups" to a height of 6"-12" higher than any anticipated snowfall. If you read your installation manual you would see that is in the instructions. You WILL damage your unit without this being done properly. Bubba
Can you explain to me how you deteremined that the unit was not installed according to this requirement? I don't seem to be able to read that well.
No heat pump works well in freezing rain since it is COLDER that the ambient air.
Free men own guns - www(dot)geocities(dot)com/CapitolHill/5357/
It's a talent learned on alt.hvac. ;)
Actually the unit has been installed correctly and high enough that snow accumulation is not the problem, I did read the installation manual. The problem is not with snow accumulating beside the unit, but with freezing rain entering the top of the open unit and freezing inside, clogging the drain holes. When the unit goes to defrost the melting water has nowhere to drain and refreezes inside the unit. An obvious design flaw for this unit.
Is your unit level? or unlevel causing the water to gather on the other end of the drain? shot in the dark here...
I'm going on alt.hvac to learn :P cln
Good suggestion, but the unit is level and drains fine if the holes are not plugged with ice.
In that case, there isnt a whole lot you can do. I still say its not a design flaw. If the bottom of the unit has too many and too large of holes, then the fan wont pull air through the coil. It will just pull it straight from the bottom holes (least resistance) and the unit wont work worth a crap. You might want to make sure you arent accumulating any water from the gutters above. Southern Ontario may not be the best place for a heat pump but that is up to you. Either put it on emergency during those conditions or head outside with buckets of hot water after the storm to melt the ice at the bottom. Ive worked on units that have literally bulged the bottom of the coil out from so much accumulation. Maybe some of that heat tape wire designed especially for gutters and put it in the bottom of the unit? Bubba
Bob, I have a crystal ball. You should be so lucky. Bite me. Bubba
Better get it checked out. I think it's broken.
Learn what? Bubba style abuse?
Jealous. Bubba
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