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-   -   Heat pump - oil furnace interface wiring prob? (https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/showthread.php?t=309524)

  • Jan 27, 2009, 05:05 PM
    Bumblerazz
    Heat pump - oil furnace interface wiring prob?
    I recently added a heat pump to my oil furnace and though the installers did a good job they disconnected some of the efficiency modules controlling the oil furnace. I've had them back to "repair" but they say nothing is wrong, but they're just looking at the heat pump.

    I have a Keeprite oil fired warm air up-flow furnace model #OLF105A12B. The module they disconnected was a Honeywell AT20B1007. The module is still connected to the power supply but the output leads have been cut.

    The leads were a white and black if that helps, though I'm not sure if it is colour coded. I should also not that my oil hot water was controlled by the furnace / module (so that it didn't run at the same time as the furnace) and all the wires have been trimmed except for the red and the white.

    How do I connect this back up? Can I rely on the colour coding and just match up the wires? I assume that the thermostat lead goes to the heat pump controller first then to the furnace (i.e.: controls whether the heat pump or oil is to run). Can I just hook the heat pump output to the module first, then module to furnace at the spot the current heat pump lead would go? Or is it more complicated than that?

    Any suggestions at this stage would be helpful as I really don't want to call the heat pump people and the oil people are going to charge me an arm and a leg!
  • Jan 28, 2009, 01:45 AM
    hvac1000
    The Honeywell number you posted AT20B/1007 is nothing more than a step down transformer,

    http://customer.honeywell.com/techli.../69-1641EF.pdf

    You have a dual fuel system oil burner and heat pump combined. The installers of the heat pump did you a grave disservice by not wiring up your system correctly. Many times these type of systems need special control setups and or special thermostats to make the system work correctly. The wiring of these systems also take a considerable amount of knowledge and the installer/service person has to be On Site to accomplish this task.

    Your best bet is to complain to the heat pump installers about the situation since I would have to assume that they were responsible for your systems current condition. If they fail to fix it then call another company who has experience in this type of work and have them fix it. Then I would take the bill and file a claim in small claims court and get a judgement against the company that did the incomplete heat pump work. This is your option but if I were you I would not mess with trying to fix it yourself since you can cause expensive damage to the equipment you have now.

    This is the best advice I can give you under these circumstances.
  • Jan 28, 2009, 04:52 PM
    Bumblerazz

    Thanks for the info. I agree with you, but I've had them back twice now and they think everything is fine. To be honest, I have little to back me up other than a "the oil furnace isn't working like it used to" statement. There are some loose wires but I have no proof that they were connected to anything relevant. My own fault I suppose, as I should have inspected the furnace carefully before the procedure and taken pictures and/or diagramed out the set-up.

    I also agree that I shouldn't wire the thing myself as I really don't want to blow any components without any real diagram wiring schematic.

    Over and above my warranty our province has special consumer protection laws that I can apply as well as a useful Better Business Bureau (they have a rating program that businesses apply to and the more complaints the company gets the lower the rating -sort of like eBay). I'll try twisting some arms with this as leverage and see what happens.

    Thanks for your help.
    Jon.
  • Jan 28, 2009, 06:08 PM
    hvac1000
    Good luck.
  • Feb 10, 2009, 03:47 PM
    Bumblerazz

    OK, just to update, I had the oil furnace guy in and had a lengthy discussion about the proper functioning of the furnace. All seems to be in order and it is running as it should.

    He also reconnected the priority interlock on the hot water tank, and that seems to be working properly now as well.

    I can now relax and enjoy the ***** winter. :)
  • Feb 10, 2009, 04:42 PM
    hvac1000
    Glad it all worked out for you.

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