Duel Fuel

jbfan

Can someone give me short explaination about a duel fuel heat pump. When would you consider one over a regular gas or electric furnace or electric pump.
Thanks

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We are the people (our parents warned us about) (Jimmy Buffett)

mdshunk

A dual fuel heat pump is an electric heat pump and a gas furnace in one package. This just makes the common task of adding a heat pump to a gas furnace one step easier. For the money, you'd be further ahead to get a seperate heat pump and gas furnace (or oil, or coal, or wood or whatever) and couple them with a fossil fuel kit. In my part of the country it is traditional to not use packaged outdoor units. It is most normal to have the furnace and air handling equipment inside and the condensing unit outdoors. Using a packaged dual fuel unit in the northeast would be quite strange, unless it was on a commercial rooftop. The dual fuel packaged heat pump is a popular piece of equipment on manufactured housing.

HVAC Doc

Depending on your area and the local lingo, a dual fuel system doesn't necessarily refer to a packaged unit. When we put in a heat pump with a gas furnace in these parts, it is considered a dual fuel system since you can use either gas or electric. The fossil fuel kit is just what we use to control the switching between the two units (the heat pump or furnace). You will find Utility companies in many parts give rebates to those with duel fuel systems (heat pump with a fossil fuel burning appliance). Have the person clarify what he is talking about so you know exactly what you are getting.

HVAC Doc

MD, I am curious as to what brand has a heat pump with a gas furnace? I admit in 45+ years, I have yet to run across one. I just searched through my dealer books for Carrier, Amana, Armstrong, and Lennox and the only configs available in packaged units are gas w/ electric a/c, heat pump with electric strip, a/c with electric strip or oil with electric a/c.

mdshunk

I've seened darned few, as there's only a limited band of the country where a dual fuel packaged unit would make sense. I've mostly seen them on manufactured housing/mobile homes in my area. They would make an excellent option for small commercial packaged rooftop replacements if it wasn't too cost prohibitive to get the 100 amps+ to the rooftop location where it have only had 50 or 60 before.

Carrier - 48JZ, Infiinity 13 dual fuel, Bryant 683B and 674B
Goodman, Janitrol, GMC, Tappan - PHKJ******
Trane, American Standard - DCY******

HVAC Doc

I called our Carrier guy and asked him what was up about those. He said they don't even stock or system input those since in our neck of the woods, they aren't in demand or feasible (90% of the homes have basements in these parts). And for what they would charge me to special deliver one in HOLY MOSES!!! Reason why I couldn't find them in our dealer net (which should have occured to me) is it is region/application specific. As he put it, thats why I don't have chiller data is because we don't do large or heavy commercial. Wasn't doubting you, just flat never heard/seen of such a beast. Proves never too old to learn something and I got some info on them now to show my guys. Although I still think I would rather buy a new van than buy one of them LOL (ok its not THAT bad.....maybe)

jbfan

Thanks guys. I relayed this to a friend and she is still taking bids.

__________________
We are the people (our parents warned us about) (Jimmy Buffett)