I am doing a sleep schedule. Yep! EM heat is an option on your thermostat that you can manually turn on to activate backup heating. When I look at the system data on the website, during the cold snap a few weeks ago it looked like the Aux was running … With these 2 thresholds its an EITHER/OR. **Note that if your Emergency Heat light is on but your thermostat is NOT set to Emergency Heat, this is an indicator there’s a problem with your heat pump and you should call for advice and service. Dual-fuel systems, which include a heat pump and a gas furnace in one system, have been a popular choice with our clients. ** Auxiliary Heat. As far as I'm aware of, the only real reasons to have the alert are if your aux heating is expensive (like electric resistance) and you want to minimize runtime or as an alert that your heat pump might not be working as well as expected. Having Emergency Heat on can and will be more expensive to run. Alternatively, maybe your heat pump doesn’t cool down after use, or it runs constantly. Like all appliances, your heat pump may sometimes have trouble working correctly. I’m not sure I agree with this guide.. he has some okay advice in there but no logic behind some of the choices. Your thermostat auxiliary heat has been called to run when the outdoor temperature exceeds the programmed set point (the programmed set point can be between 32°F and 80°F). While a gas furnace is not as efficient as a heat pump, it is more efficient than a heat pump using auxiliary heat. 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). If you’re receiving many “Aux heat running” alerts, you may want to adjust this setting (after confirming with your heat pump manufacturer the lowest temperature your heat pump can safely function at). 3hours + is not unusual in colder weather. If you are not experiencing one of the 3 situations listed above but your heat pump is running on AUX heat, your heat pump likely needs a professional repair. Remote sensor battery alert. "Auxiliary heat running too long" pop up message I am getting this message about 3-4 times a week and don't quite understand why. If your Ecobee was recently installed, it’s possible that the settings haven’t been changed from the factory pre-sets. ecobee3 manages auxiliary heating through the W1 & W2 (if there is more than 1-stage of aux heat) terminals outputs. When temperatures get very cold here (say, 20 or below), my condo really struggles to maintain temperature, while giving me alerts that the Aux has been running too long. Compressor to Aux Min Runtime is how long it attempts to run the heat pump before kicking over to Aux heat. I have the lockout set to 20F and compressor lockout set to 10F. This is why it is only used in an emergency situation. Let tstat keep up as needed. Short version: the ecobee supports more stages of heating and cooling than the Nest Thermostat E, for both conventional systems and systems with a heat pump. They work best and most efficiently when locked in at a single temperature. A surefire way to know if there is an issue with your system is to check the auxiliary heat light. What exactly do you recommend? This happens most often when it is cold – less than 30 degrees. If you're expecting to use the aux heat a lot, then I wouldn't worry about it too much. 300 seconds is fine by honeywell and me. If you notice that your auxiliary heat seems to be coming on too frequently or you get an alert that says “auxiliary heat running too long,” there may be a simple fix that could save you a service call. This setting is under Menu > Settings > Installation Settings > Thresholds > Aux Heat Max Outdoor Temperature, This is the max temp that the aux heat will kick on. Are you using setback schedules, such as lowering the temperature 3 or 4 degrees while at work? Out of the box, the Ecobee does one thing very, very wrong. Thanks for the careful reply! There are two important points to note here: 1. The ecobee will not be compatible with high-voltage systems. It's also worth checking out some of the thresholds for the Ecobee regarding heat pumps (under Settings->Installation Settings, I believe). The ecobee will work with about 95% of HVAC systems. I think I'm having a problem whereby the Ecobee isn't actually activating the auxiliary heat on my heat pump. I think there is a setting that will allow me to adjust that time period where it notifies me of this, but I don't want to cause damage to the furnace. You can turn up the threshold for the alert in the reminders menu so it takes more time to trigger. • Your auxiliary heat source is running • at higher than expected outdoor • temperatures. With Arizona’s high temps, there usually isn’t much need for secondary heating. When its gets with 1.5 degrees of room temperature, the back-up heat cycles off and the heat pump continues to run trying to keep up to reach temperature, but it cannot. This is, however, the way heat pumps are designed to operate. At that point, your heat pump might need a bit of auxiliary heat – and if you want things to run smoothly, you might want to install a thermostat with auxiliary heat as well. ECOBEE should NOT use AUX heat except to catch up. As you continue to use your ecobee, it learns how long it takes your home to get to a desired temperature. 40 is about the sweet spot for our house. Here's how to make it right. … Maybe it won’t turn on, or it no longer heats up appropriately. In other words, the factory set the outside temperature at which the auxiliary heat should come … I have been using the ecobee since April and I have noticed this winter that my HP is not quite keeping the house warm without using the auxiliary heat a lot. Aux Outdoor Temp Alert- If you have a heat pump with an auxiliary heat configuration, you can configure your ecobee3 to generate an alert if the auxiliary heat is called for when the outdoor temperature exceeds this programmed set point. I got a notice that my axillary heat has been running for over a hundred and 80 minutes in the last 24 hours and at that was too long. Heat pumps cannot recover quickly, and aux heat will kick in when trying to increase temperature. This is called aux heat min temp in thresholds. Default before engaging aux heat on most ecobees is 35. It supports up to 2 stages for heating and 2 stages for cooling as well as up to 2 stages of auxiliary heat (so it actually supports a total of four stages for heating). This is known as running on “auxiliary heat.” Generally, this can’t be controlled manually, but is instead switched over to automatically when your system either senses that it has been running for too long, or too much ice has built up on the outdoor coil and it needs to begin a defrost cycle. You want the aux heat to run as little as possible. W2, AUX and or E (Emergency) wiring connections will normally connect to the ecobee3 W1 terminal. If you're expecting to use the aux heat a lot, then I wouldn't worry about it too much. If you have a heat pump with auxiliary heating, when the outdoor temperature drops below this value, the ecobee will engage your aux heat and rely on aux heat to heat your home. How Emergency Heat Works. If after 2 hours the set point has not been met, the Thermostat will shutdown the heat pump and call on the auxiliary heat to meet the set point. I'd never set a temp to kick on AUX. A subreddit for ecobee and all their smart home products. Before getting to the technical part, let me clear a common dilemma to most individuals, does ecobee work with a heat pump- absolutely yes, depending on the version of the ecobee kit you got, you can configure the heat pump into the ecobee home kit. We have a heat pump and there's no gas heat or anything like that. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. 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. AUX heat is running, but it’s hot outside: Unless temperatures are 35 degrees Fahrenheit or below, it doesn’t make sense for AUX heat to run for a long time. Press J to jump to the feed. • Your auxiliary heat source is running • too often. If you are, that's probably the issue. So long story short, when it’s at 64 and I want it to be 72, it’s going to cost me a bit extra to bridge that gap. Auxiliary Heat Run Time: Auxiliary heat source is running too often. That's winter for us geothermal users. Here is a screenshot of the message. A subreddit for ecobee and all their smart home products. Two questions: What exactly is set back? I’m a pro. I have the Ecobee set to automatically control my auxiliary heat, but it seems to usually kick in when the temperature is 2 degrees below where I’ve set it. Auxiliary heat running too long. The trick is to find out how low your heat pump will run efficiently and then set the aux heat threshold around that temperature. Wrap Up Sometimes, finding the best thermostat for heat pump with auxiliary heat can be quite challenging – but as long as you know what to look for, the process should be quite easy. If it’s particularly cold where you live, the heat … With that in mind, below are some of the most common heat pump problems, as well as possible explanations and fixes for these issues. 10 min too long for off cycle. This is called aux heat min temp in thresholds. I have a heat pump/furnace setup and it has been too cold recently for the heat pump to run effectively. For me, with electric resistance heating, some of them didn't make a lot of sense at their defaults -- for instance, the Ecobee will lock out the heat pump from running if it's below 35F outside. If your heat pump seems to be stuck on auxiliary heat mode and the temperatures outside are above 35 degrees, you should call the professionals at Precision Heating & Air. It is more likely that your system just needs the help. Keep everything warmer overall? Batteries are only a major problem to thermostats that don’t have a C-Wire or some means to draw power from the mains supply for instance the ecobee PEK. It's been pretty cold here for us, so I'm not sure how I should change that. This has probably always been happening but I am only now aware of it because the ecobee is notifying me? heat pump (air or geothermal) with auxiliary heat This diagram illustrates the wiring connections for a heat-pump system with auxiliary heating. Press J to jump to the feed. If it meets 1 of the 2 thresholds then it will kick over to the Aux. It's been a high of 40 for a couple days so I'm not sure how to help the aux heat there. So the auxiliary heat literally costs about 3-4 times as much to run! You’ll have to play with it to find the perfect number. For me, with electric resistance heating, some of them didn't make a lot of sense at their defaults -- for instance, the Ecobee will lock out the heat pump from running if it's below 35F outside. Here is a screenshot of the message. You may be able to get away with less if your system is oversized or you have a well insulated home. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts, https://www.reddit.com/r/ecobee/comments/7wdnfx/comment/dtzqnjm?st=JRZ13936&sh=cd0dbc25. Is this a programming flaw internal to ecobee programming? Fix the Ecobee smart thermostat's most annoying feature. This option should also be used for installation where the heat pump evaporator coil is downstream from the source of auxiliary heat. I installed the ecobee 3 this weekend and have received this message twice now, once yesterday, and again this morning. For me, I don't think the heat pump is supposed to run below that threshold, it gets fairly cold here (currently 20°F) and I don't believe the heat pump is as effective as the furnace at those temperatures. Just change the alert for the aux to more than three hours? So if this threshold is set to AUTO or 10 minutes and we set our Temp Delta to 5 degrees, it will still only run the heat pump for the 10 minutes then switch to Aux even if its within the … Auxiliary heat kicks on when your heat pump can’t produce enough heat to warm your home by itself. Should I be concerned about this message? Heat pump setbacks should not exceed 3 degrees F. If you get the aux heat in warning it’s usually an indication that the balance point has been exceeded and that the aux is necessary to keep up with demand for heat. If you try to do big setbacks, like with home/away or a nightly setback during sleep aux is often needed to get the temp back up to where you want it. Auxiliary heat is less energy-efficient than your heat pump, and it is meant to only run for short periods of time when temperatures drop. Should I be concerned about this message? I wouldn't, it's just gonna be expensive. I would recommend to set a value for these thresholds first and that should eliminate the aux heat turning on sooner than needed. This varies depending on equipment sizing, duct leakage, how high you set your indoor temperature, and how well insulated the structure is. Sometimes the answer isn't always what you want to hear. If your Ecobee thermostat is running too hot, click here to see how we ended up fixing ours. There's also a setting to change the length of time before the warning triggers. Your ecobee will take into account the performance of your HVAC equipment relative to the effects of weather on your home. This may seem silly, but is there a recommended way to determine that? It’s also making a lot of assumptions about where you are. Meaning only when it gets under 40 will the aux heat kick on. Low thermostat battery alert. I’ve set mine at 40. It popped up on my ecobee3 Lite. The ecobee also has a comp to aux runtime, that I had disabled, until it got really cold. I believe mine was set to around 55 at default. Some heatpumps can take longer than others to warm up and finally start giving heat. 03/21/2018 21:34 Subject: Ecobee 3 & Electric Heat Pump Error Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. I tried setting it lower but noticed the temps in my home would drop and standard heat wasn’t enough. When does this happen? Default before engaging aux heat on most ecobees is 35. Ecobee and heat pump. Prolonged use of aux heat can cause your utility bill to be much higher than it needs to be. Are there some settings I should change? New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. Check out this guide: https://www.reddit.com/r/ecobee/comments/7wdnfx/comment/dtzqnjm?st=JRZ13936&sh=cd0dbc25. Now it is set to two hours. Thanks! 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. Look, aux heat is a backup for when heat pump can’t keep up for demand for heat. | 250 University Ave | Suite 400 | Toronto, Ontario | M5H 3E5 Toll Free 1.877.932.6233, Int. To Configure Temperature Correction. This feature requires an … This is just telling you that you're spending money. This varies depending on equipment sizing, duct leakage, how high you set your indoor temperature, and how well insulated the structure is. (I've heard differing descriptions.). When the balance point between outdoor temperature and heatpump capacity has been exceeded. I received the same message this morning - that it has been running for a half hour. It's basically saying "hey, expensive AUX (Gas, propane, etc) is running, you might want to think about that.". Your auxiliary heat source is running too often (can be configured from 30 minutes to 8 hours). I have a heat pump/furnace setup and it has been too cold recently for the heat pump to run effectively. Thanks! 1 User Guide ecobee3 ©2014 ecobee 250 University Ave | Suite 400 Toronto | Ontario | M5H 3E5 Canada Toll free 1.877.932.6233 www.ecobee.com The long version: Nest Theremostat E supports 2 stages of either heating or cooling, and 1 stage of the other. You can adjust the threshold for the alert through the "Reminders & Alerts" tab in the web UI (Reminders & Alerts -> Preferences -> Aux Heat Runtime Alert). When the balance point between outdoor temperature and heatpump capacity has been exceeded. I live in a large apartment complex, and had the EcoBee3 installed about a month ago. So it drops a couple degrees at night. I installed the ecobee 3 this weekend and have received this message twice now, once yesterday, and again this morning. 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