Winterizing Central Air Conditioner

Oct 23, 2005 5 Replies

I had a Carrier central air system added to an existing Carrier furnace this summer. The A/C is the split system type with an outside and inside compressor.



The unit worked nicely during the summer. I was told at the time of installation that no maintenance was required and to just switch the thermostat to "heat" in the winter. Well, I did that, and the furnace came on, but the outside compressor also came on. I called the installer who checked it out and said I needed to pull out the fuse on the outside electrical disconnect and set it in the "off" position.



I have talked to other homeowners, and none have to do this. Is it normal, or should I call the installers back?



Also, with the A/C install, they replaced the thermostat. The furnace is a two-speed model. The thermostat is a single stage heat/cool thermostat. Am I losing the two-speed benefits of the furnace? Should I ask for a new thermostat?



Thanks!


You need to call them back. you shouldn't have to worry about them both running at the same time.

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Call them back and tell them to fix it or you will call their license board.

You do not mention if the unit is a heat pump. If it is then the outside running is normal. You say you have a 2 stage heater. If you do then you may need a different t-stat. The installer/service folks saw the unit and we can not. Two stages are nice sometimes, low for maintenance and high for catch-up. We can not know all the parameters of your installation. Call the contractor back and ask for the service manager to come out and show you what is going on.

As noted, if it is a heat pump, you want it to work during the winter. It is designed to do that. On the other hand if it is not a heat pump, you have a real problem and it is not fixed by turning off the current to the compressor.

Art, there are a lot of states out there that do NOT require licenses...

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