well I guess I jinxed myself with the mystery antifreeze / system check up thread. I woke up today to a low temp fault on this unit. *** important note *** I recently ( last month and I believe I have not had low outdoor temp since install) had a new climatemaster programmable thermostat installed under warranty. My old themo - ( 2 years old) would loose all stored data whenever the power would go out. This is the exact same thermostat I had before ( of course with updated sorftware or battery to resolve the mentioned issue) I can post the model # when I get home - but this is the popular climatemaster brand unit. Since I have never had a low temp fault before - is it possible that there is a setting that was done incorrect by the installer ? I have read for instance, that the Delta T can be adjusted to allow more flow past the condensor / heat exchanger to help reduce the possibility of frost build up ? Another observation I noticed is that a LAT thermo that I have on a vent in the living room was showing just a bit higher temp ( 90 degrees vs a more common 88 degrees) which I thought was unusual for the 12 degree outdoor temp we are having currently. House is set at 68 I now wonder if that may have indicated a slow flow rate thru the system ( longer exposure of coolant than should be ) .... sorry if I am going down a wrong path on this one... but thought the higher vent temp ( very unusual for my stage 2 heating to hit 90) was worth mentioning. in summary: could the new thermostat have had a setting or two incorrectly adjusted for my system ? The system is a 4 ton 2 stage tranquility closed pond loop. Has been running for 2 1/2 years with out issue. I am running marginal on antifreeze ( possible 24 degree protect ) per a previous post Last year running 31 EWT and 26.5 LWT ( have not yet checked this year ) Looking to see if I should check the Delta T setting ( and I need the procedure to do so ) or any other setting that could cause the new fault to appear. Thanks a bunch ! Don in Ohio
Don: Your guessing instead of measuring is liable to cause tinkering, and that can cause frozen people and pipes. Get tools and learn how to use them or call a pro. I would be happy to help and I do not charge extra for weekends. Mark
Hi Mark Thanks for the reply. I do have the installing company coming out tomorrow - just thought maybe the Delta was an easy area to take a look at - especially if that is an item that is typically changed in value with a system set-up like mine .... may have been worth a look. As mentioned - thermostat was replaced recently ... unit is a Climatemaster ATP32U03/4 and I know there is several installer set functions that can cause issues if input is incorrect. If they have trouble tomorrow identifying the issue I'll let you know - thanks for the offer. don
I learned early on not to be what was then known as a tube tapper. They would come out to fix your vacuum tube what ever. They would tap one tube at a time until something changed. Replace that tube and start over. I bring real world test stuff. Mark
**** update on the lower water temp fault *** my 2 - 1/2 year old B&D pump station with low pressure Grundfos pumps had a pump failure. system is up and running well at this time. Pump is covered under warranty. The new pump has what looks to be an adjustible setting for " Low Med High" - which installer set to the high position .... Does anyone know the reasoning for or circumstances where the setting should be changed ? Thanks as always for info and advice Don
Do you have 1 or 2 circulation pumps? I assume 2. You might be able to set it to a lower setting if you have enough flow. It might be that the pump is set to match the speed of the other pump. Any idea what your delta t (difference between incoming and outgoing water temperature) is?
Hi Doc - info as requested : this is the 2 pump system . I have not checked the delta with the new pump.... will check and update tonite, however last year I had EWT 31.5 and LWT about 26.5 in January. I do notice that the LAT at the vent I normally check was down a couple of degrees .... which does beg the question of flow rate ... I believe I read that Delta normal recommendation in the range of 5-7 degrees. This is a climatemaster 4 ton system with the low pressure B&D 2 pump system. I was getting apprx 22 - 24 degrees over ambient from the vent in the past ... last night after pump install was about 20-21 degrees. Can you supply what would be typical #'s for the delta and is it just a matter of moving the switch on the side of the pump to another setting - looks like just a flat blade to rotate the position of the switch. Also what to look for in delta if I were to change the pump to the medium setting.... ? Thanks
I've got a 4 ton tranquility 27 split and a single 26-99 3-speed pump like your new one. I had the same thoughts on which setting (lo-med-hi) was best. Honestly, I still don't know. However, the attached is what I found that does provide some performance specs (for my equipment) related to this. I found it in the ClimateMaster Product Catalog. Maybe you can find it for your exact model on the CM site?
additional data - Measured EWT 34.8 LWT 29.3 today w/ a bit warmer weather in ohio - outside temp about 28 degrees right now. How does the delta of 5.5 sound for this system ?
Assuming that your refrigerant circuit is OK, which it seems, around 5 degree delta T is a good number.
