[courtenaynj]

I live on the 30th floor on the NW side of the building. There are 3 GE 3800 Zoneline heat pump systems used to heat/cool the house. The master bedroom seems to get the brunt of the winds and our NJ weather has been hovering at freezing or below for a month now. No matter how low I turn the thermostat, the master BR heat pump runs continuously kicking out pretty cool air, while the aux electric heats kicks on only sporadically. If I turn the thermostat up, though, the room gets too hot. The other two units don't seem to be having the same problem. I'm not sure if this is a function of the room location and the wind, or if this unit is having a problem.

Building maintenance was pretty useless with help, so I'm trying to trouble shoot this myself looking at the owner manual. There are two switches to the auxiliary controls I think might help...
1) The unit has a temp limiting function. Am I right to assume that if I limit the max temp to 70-72 degrees, that will help my issue with it getting to warm when I raise the thermostat?
2) It also has a "Heat Boost" option that according to the manual, locks out heat pump only operation when outdoor temps are between 25 and 40 degrees, which provides supplementary heat to the heat pump operation in conditions where the heat pump only operation is not sufficient to maintain a consistent room temp. This seems to be different than turning the heat pump off all together (there is a separate auxiliary control to do that), which I know is a bad idea from reading other posts. Having just suffered a $400 electric bill with the heat pumps operating without heat boost, I'm not sure whether this function will make the electric consumption better or worse?

I'd appreciate any advice you can give!

[KISS]

OOps: May not apply - it's a packaged unit. The 3900 is here: http://www.geappliances.com/products.../installation/ not the 3800.

Check the ventilation control position.

A. Thermostat model. Location of thermostat/unit relative to outside walls, exposure to sun, 5' high, drafts etc.

B) Describe the ductwork and return air system. Does not apply.

1) Temp limiting is used for energy savings in commercial applications. Usually the admin set a password.

2) I'm getting tired of posting.
lets do it this way this time:

a) Balance point - an outdoor temperature where the HP outut equals the loss of the house (determined by a manual J = design info)

b) Compressor lockout outdoor temp - below which the HP is useless and is turned off. Heat is only supplied by the heat strips.

Above (a) the HP runs, Between (a) and (b) both run, less than (b) the strips run

emg heat forces the strips to run and turns off the HP.

EMG heat may run based on the thermostat algorithm. Bumping the SP >> measured temp will cause the strips to come on. Not being able to satisfy in a timely manner may turn the strips on, This depends somewhat on the HP and thermostat combination.

Your (2) basically forces the HP to operate above a certain temp which is basically energy saving. So when you turn the heat up 10 more degrees, the strips won't turn on. It will just take longer to get there.

Munch that for a while.

This might help you understand your syetm better: http://www.geappliances.com/products..._manual_08.pdf

I just took a look at it.

Mmmm. This 3900 has a 3 stage electric heat. If some of the elements were bad, you might have some odd behavior.
You should expect that GE would protect the outside temp sensor from wind gusts, but you never know.

The 3900 has no diagnostics. Too bad.

With the right tools, some comparisons could be run. Current draw based on what SHOULD be operating and the temperature difference across the heat exchanger.

You seem to be suggesting that it's not like the other units.

The electric heat should suppliment in stages between 46 and 25 F outside temp. See page 19.