Hi Y'all!

I love lurking here, I learn a lot.

Does anyone have thoughts on heat pumps? We're interested in purchasing a
2200 sq ft house in North Carolina (Raleigh area) that has forced air heat
and central air through a heat pump. I don't know a thing about them, and
would appreciate any feedback on how efficient and cost effective they are.

Any made in the last 15 years or so are pretty good. I have a pair of trane
heat pumps in my lake house at kerr. Gas will cost you less though around
here (Raleigh). I would not pass on a house I liked just because it had a
heat pump instead of gas.

"ZsaZsa" wrote in message
r.com...
Hi Y'all!

I love lurking here, I learn a lot.

Does anyone have thoughts on heat pumps? We're interested in purchasing a
2200 sq ft house in North Carolina (Raleigh area) that has forced air
heat
and central air through a heat pump. I don't know a thing about them, and
would appreciate any feedback on how efficient and cost effective they
are.

I'm using a similar set up for the same size house in the Pac. NW. (seattle
area)

It is more effecient than straight electric or propane heat. Naturual gas
would be more ecconomical but it is not available in my rural area.

Heat pump heating starts getting expensive as the outside temperature starts
dropping and as inside demand increases. The thermostat setting has a lot
to do with this.. It takes a while for a cold house to heat up with a heat
pump.. If you push the thermostat to 70 degrees when the house 40 and the
outside temp is in the high 30s to low 40s. The electric heating elements
will kick in to satify your 'demand'.. However if your willing to keep your
sweater on for an hour or so and just set the thermostat intially at 55 to
60 deg. then they control logic of the unit will normally leave the electric
elements off and allow the heat pump to do the bulk of the heating..

There are some other tricks to the heat pump game that can be tired. Since I
am retired and home most of the time, in the fall and spring, I take
advantage of the periods of the day when it is relatively warm outside or
when the sun is still high.. I start heating up the house for the chillyer
evening to come by raising the thermostat early, while there is warm outside
air.

I will have to admit that I don't heat my house with the heat pump in the
dead of winter since it just can't handle the job with outside temperature
in the low 30s... Trying to do that can and has pushed my electric bill to
triple my normal useage.

I am now heating during the Dec, Jan and Feb (I expect) with a 50,000 btu
pellet stove.. This is my first winter using it to replace an old wood stove
and I'm very happy with it.. The heat pump or electric hear only comes on if
I turn the pellet stove off for the evening and then only for about an hour
per evening..

I hope this gives you some prospective regarding heat pump heating..

Steve

"ZsaZsa" wrote in message
r.com...
Hi Y'all!

I love lurking here, I learn a lot.

Does anyone have thoughts on heat pumps? We're interested in purchasing a
2200 sq ft house in North Carolina (Raleigh area) that has forced air
heat
and central air through a heat pump. I don't know a thing about them, and
would appreciate any feedback on how efficient and cost effective they
are.




Overall, depending on the age of the unit, it being sized correctly, with
correct duct, SEER and HSPF it is the most economical way here in NC to
heat. Period.
With a heat pump, as long as its maintained, for every dollar you spend on
it, you will get more of a return on heat than with oil, or gas.

"Lawrence James" wrote in message
nk.net...
Any made in the last 15 years or so are pretty good. I have a pair of
trane
heat pumps in my lake house at kerr. Gas will cost you less though around
here (Raleigh). I would not pass on a house I liked just because it had a
heat pump instead of gas.

Thanks Lawrence. I'm wondering though, if gas will remain the most cost
effective way to heat our homes long term. A few people have mentioned to
me recently that they're looking for ways to reduce their need for natural
gas because of projections that the costs will continue to soar.

I have no idea, but cost isn't our primary concern with the heat pump,
although it's certainly an important one. We moved here from CA where fuel
costs are stupendous, so it all seems cheap by comparison. How's that for
pop-economics? :-)

Again, many thanks for your response.

ZsaZsa


"ZsaZsa" wrote in message
r.com...
Hi Y'all!

I love lurking here, I learn a lot.

Does anyone have thoughts on heat pumps? We're interested in purchasing
a
2200 sq ft house in North Carolina (Raleigh area) that has forced air
heat
and central air through a heat pump. I don't know a thing about them,
and
would appreciate any feedback on how efficient and cost effective they
are.

"Steve" wrote in message
...
I'm using a similar set up for the same size house in the Pac. NW.
(seattle
area)

It is more effecient than straight electric or propane heat. Naturual gas
would be more ecconomical but it is not available in my rural area.

Heat pump heating starts getting expensive as the outside temperature
starts
dropping and as inside demand increases. The thermostat setting has a lot
to do with this.. It takes a while for a cold house to heat up with a heat
pump.. If you push the thermostat to 70 degrees when the house 40 and the
outside temp is in the high 30s to low 40s. The electric heating elements
will kick in to satify your 'demand'.. However if your willing to keep
your
sweater on for an hour or so and just set the thermostat intially at 55 to
60 deg. then they control logic of the unit will normally leave the
electric
elements off and allow the heat pump to do the bulk of the heating..

There are some other tricks to the heat pump game that can be tired. Since
I
am retired and home most of the time, in the fall and spring, I take
advantage of the periods of the day when it is relatively warm outside or
when the sun is still high.. I start heating up the house for the chillyer
evening to come by raising the thermostat early, while there is warm
outside
air.

I will have to admit that I don't heat my house with the heat pump in the
dead of winter since it just can't handle the job with outside temperature
in the low 30s... Trying to do that can and has pushed my electric bill to
triple my normal useage.

I am now heating during the Dec, Jan and Feb (I expect) with a 50,000 btu
pellet stove.. This is my first winter using it to replace an old wood
stove
and I'm very happy with it.. The heat pump or electric hear only comes on
if
I turn the pellet stove off for the evening and then only for about an
hour
per evening..

I hope this gives you some prospective regarding heat pump heating..

Steve

Hi Steve,

Yes, your information really helps a lot. I really appreciate you taking
the time to fill me in.

Right now I'm waiting to hear back from the realtor as to the age of the
unit so I can get a better idea of what we'll be dealing with. We are
putting an offer on the house irregardless.

When we were there last night for our second viewing I did notice that the
house was very warm and cozy. Also, after living with a noisy furnace for
the past two years I was taken by the complete silence of the system. I
didn't hear a thing. The heating system we have here in this much newer
and more expensive home is so noisy that it wakes us up at night when it
kicks on.

As to the costs, I am reading up on the natural gas situation and feeling
pretty secure that we won't be dependent on it as the prices continue to
rise and supplies (allegedly) become more limited.

Your response is most appreciated!! Thanks for taking the time.

ZsaZsa

"CBhvac" stephenaddressscfrewedonpurpose@carolinabreezehva c.com wrote in
message ...

"ZsaZsa" wrote in message
r.com...
Hi Y'all!

I love lurking here, I learn a lot.

Does anyone have thoughts on heat pumps? We're interested in purchasing
a
2200 sq ft house in North Carolina (Raleigh area) that has forced air
heat
and central air through a heat pump. I don't know a thing about them,
and
would appreciate any feedback on how efficient and cost effective they
are.




Overall, depending on the age of the unit, it being sized correctly, with
correct duct, SEER and HSPF it is the most economical way here in NC to
heat. Period.
With a heat pump, as long as its maintained, for every dollar you spend on
it, you will get more of a return on heat than with oil, or gas.

Hi CB

I don't know what SEER and HSPF are, but I'll do my homework. We should be
getting the full details on the system today, as we requested them from the
realtor prior to us putting in an offer.

The house in question is over 20 years old, but beautifully and lovingly
maintained and upgraded, so I'm operating on the hope that the HVAC system
has been as well. Our offer will be adjusted based on what we discover
about the system.

Thank you so much for responding.

ZsaZsa

As more and more power plants continue to be built using natural gas as their
primary source of fuel, the costs of gas to homeowners will continue to rise as
demand increases for the limited supply.

As these gas prices climb, so will the cost of the electricity they produce.

HA HA Budys Here wrote:

As more and more power plants continue to be built using natural gas as their
primary source of fuel, the costs of gas to homeowners will continue to rise as
demand increases for the limited supply.

As these gas prices climb, so will the cost of the electricity they produce.


The supply isn't limited. It's determined by the price. Once the price moves
high enough to extract higher priced gas, you get more gas; when it falls, you
get less gas.

What's limited is the supply of low-priced gas.

The consumer end works the reverse: higher price means less demand as alternatives
are used, and lower price means more demand as alternatives are abandoned.

They cross in the middle at some current price, and that's as good as you can do.

In particular, power plants won't be built indefinitely using natural gas if the
price goes up. Extrapolation in a straight line is not often realistic.
--
Ron Hardin


On the internet, nobody knows you're a jerk.

According to ZsaZsa :

"Lawrence James" wrote in message
nk.net...
Any made in the last 15 years or so are pretty good. I have a pair of
trane
heat pumps in my lake house at kerr. Gas will cost you less though around
here (Raleigh). I would not pass on a house I liked just because it had a
heat pump instead of gas.

Thanks Lawrence. I'm wondering though, if gas will remain the most cost
effective way to heat our homes long term.

A heat pump using gas backup will be cheaper to run than gas alone.

Most heat pumps in your area will have electric strip backup. Which will
probably do worse than gas alone in your area. South of you, they'll do
better than gas alone.

If the heat pump is ground-source or water-source, then economics change
radically, and they tend to be the cheapest heating systems to run
everywhere. Except perhaps in the high arctic.
--
Chris Lewis, Una confibula non set est
It's not just anyone who gets a Starship Cruiser class named after them.

"ZsaZsa" wrote in message
...

"CBhvac" stephenaddressscfrewedonpurpose@carolinabreezehva c.com wrote in
message ...

"ZsaZsa" wrote in message
r.com...
Hi Y'all!

I love lurking here, I learn a lot.

Does anyone have thoughts on heat pumps? We're interested in
purchasing
a
2200 sq ft house in North Carolina (Raleigh area) that has forced air
heat
and central air through a heat pump. I don't know a thing about them,
and
would appreciate any feedback on how efficient and cost effective they
are.




Overall, depending on the age of the unit, it being sized correctly,
with
correct duct, SEER and HSPF it is the most economical way here in NC to
heat. Period.
With a heat pump, as long as its maintained, for every dollar you spend
on
it, you will get more of a return on heat than with oil, or gas.

Hi CB

I don't know what SEER and HSPF are, but I'll do my homework. We should
be
getting the full details on the system today, as we requested them from
the
realtor prior to us putting in an offer.


Ok..keep in mind this..
Real Estate Agents in that area....are like trained monkeys. Monkey
see...monkey do. I have found ONE that I deal with, and shes not in your
area out there...that I trust. She asks the right questions, does the right
things. I have bought 2 homes from her in 3 years...shes a no BS kinda lady.
So..if they dont know, they MIGHT try to BS ya..so if you want, you can get
the model and serial numbers, along with the brand name, and we can tell you
how old it is from the serial, and what kind of unit (other than the make of
course) from the model...


The house in question is over 20 years old, but beautifully and lovingly
maintained and upgraded, so I'm operating on the hope that the HVAC system
has been as well. Our offer will be adjusted based on what we discover
about the system.

Ok..one thing about here in NC....take this as you will...
1-average life expectancy of a unit is 12-15 years...
2-NO ONE and I mean no one seems to understand one word....SERVICE.
I have York customers that I deal with every week, and I am the first York
dealer in my area in almost 15 years...and we go to check a problem, and the
first thing to be found is lack of service..and I mean..OBVIOUS lack of
service. When you talk to a homeowner here, its like...You mean I have to
have it CLEANED???
and of course, its never been touched other than a filter.
And of course, when the company comes to service it...its slap guages on it,
maybe charge for refrigerant it does not need, since no one knows one little
word there...superheat....and they are off...
Its a hell of a crapshoot, but just keep in mind the average mentality....if
its not broke, we aint gonna fix it..and thats the way it is. Its the most
depended on appliance in the home, (particularly here in summer) its the
most single expensive appliance in most cases, and its the most neglected.



Thank you so much for responding.

NP..and if you will mail the model and serial numbers, with the brand of the
unit(s) we can get you more info.


ZsaZsa

"CBhvac" stephenaddressscfrewedonpurpose@carolinabreezehva c.com wrote in
message ...
Ok..keep in mind this..
Real Estate Agents in that area....are like trained monkeys. Monkey
see...monkey do.

Don't I know it? We're in the process of taking a $10,000 bath on the
wonderful home a "relocation specialist" realtor stung us with when we moved
here two years ago. Coming from California, we had no idea about the housing
market here and depended on her advice about the price and location.
Suffice it to say that she couldn't have done a worse job. I'm moving into
her neighborhood now, and hope I don't bump into her in the supermarket!

I have found ONE that I deal with, and shes not in your
area out there...that I trust. She asks the right questions, does the
right
things. I have bought 2 homes from her in 3 years...shes a no BS kinda
lady.

Human cloning is starting to hold more appeal! Good realtors are few and
far between, that's for sure.

Also, NC seems to be an extremely consumer unfriendly state, but don't get
me started.

So..if they dont know, they MIGHT try to BS ya..so if you want, you can
get
the model and serial numbers, along with the brand name, and we can tell
you
how old it is from the serial, and what kind of unit (other than the make
of
course) from the model...

They just told me that the unit is "10-12 years old". Odd that they don't
know exactly. I will request the model and serial numbers.


The house in question is over 20 years old, but beautifully and lovingly
maintained and upgraded, so I'm operating on the hope that the HVAC
system
has been as well. Our offer will be adjusted based on what we
discover
about the system.

Ok..one thing about here in NC....take this as you will...
1-average life expectancy of a unit is 12-15 years...
2-NO ONE and I mean no one seems to understand one word....SERVICE.

Uh oh! I think I'll need the name of the service person also then. Maybe I
could get a better idea from that question as to how the unit has been
maintained.

I have York customers that I deal with every week, and I am the first York
dealer in my area in almost 15 years...and we go to check a problem, and
the
first thing to be found is lack of service..and I mean..OBVIOUS lack of
service. When you talk to a homeowner here, its like...You mean I have to
have it CLEANED???
and of course, its never been touched other than a filter.
And of course, when the company comes to service it...its slap guages on
it,
maybe charge for refrigerant it does not need, since no one knows one
little
word there...superheat....and they are off...
Its a hell of a crapshoot, but just keep in mind the average
mentality....if
its not broke, we aint gonna fix it..and thats the way it is. Its the most
depended on appliance in the home, (particularly here in summer) its the
most single expensive appliance in most cases, and its the most neglected.

This is all great information to have. Thanks so much.
NP..and if you will mail the model and serial numbers, with the brand of
the
unit(s) we can get you more info.

I will do that! Your feedback is most appreciated!

ZsaZsa

"Steve" wrote in message ...
I'm using a similar set up for the same size house in the Pac. NW. (seattle
area)

It is more effecient than straight electric or propane heat. Naturual gas
would be more ecconomical but it is not available in my rural area.

Heat pump heating starts getting expensive as the outside temperature starts
dropping and as inside demand increases. The thermostat setting has a lot
to do with this.. It takes a while for a cold house to heat up with a heat
pump.. If you push the thermostat to 70 degrees when the house 40 and the
outside temp is in the high 30s to low 40s. The electric heating elements
will kick in to satify your 'demand'.. However if your willing to keep your
sweater on for an hour or so and just set the thermostat intially at 55 to
60 deg. then they control logic of the unit will normally leave the electric
elements off and allow the heat pump to do the bulk of the heating..


Hi....I've been reading this thread with interest since I have a
heat pump in the Asheville, NC area. I was wondering what
the most economical way of setting the thermostat would be...
No one is home for about 8hrs (6AM to 2PM) most days, but
a few times a month I am away for 1-2 days at the time.
Is it best to turn the thermostat fairly low when I'm gone(how low?)
or is it more efficient to leave the house warmer(how high?) even
when I'm not there? Does the best strategy change depending
on how long I will be away?
Outside temps here are usually 20's at night and 40's during the day,
with occasional teens for lows.
Thanks very much for any advice,
Dare Gaither

"ZsaZsa" wrote in message
r.com...

"CBhvac" stephenaddressscfrewedonpurpose@carolinabreezehva c.com wrote in
message ...
Ok..keep in mind this..
Real Estate Agents in that area....are like trained monkeys. Monkey
see...monkey do.

Don't I know it? We're in the process of taking a $10,000 bath on the
wonderful home a "relocation specialist" realtor stung us with when we
moved
here two years ago. Coming from California, we had no idea about the
housing
market here and depended on her advice about the price and location.
Suffice it to say that she couldn't have done a worse job. I'm moving
into
her neighborhood now, and hope I don't bump into her in the supermarket!

LOL..understand. I grew up in the area, and my wife is from Palm Springs.
After living out there for several years, we made the move back here to my
home.
That area is one of the highest priced markets in the state, and we
considered that area for a time since my mother and other family members had
moved to the Ral/Durham area.
Plenty of supermarkets here...no Vons, no Albertsons, but Food Lions on
about every corner, and Bi-Lo isnt too bad...its a division of Vons IIRC.


I have found ONE that I deal with, and shes not in your
area out there...that I trust. She asks the right questions, does the
right
things. I have bought 2 homes from her in 3 years...shes a no BS kinda
lady.

Human cloning is starting to hold more appeal! Good realtors are few and
far between, that's for sure.


Only, and ONLY if we can weed out the gene pool first...LOL!


Also, NC seems to be an extremely consumer unfriendly state, but don't get
me started.

Nope...agreed. Its not exactly heaven in that regard. Its not real friendly
to workers either. Right to work state.
We have got, thankfully, a pretty good system that CAN protect consumers
however, and in the HVAC end, we are second to CA with regards to the new
codes, and laws. Just takes a while for it to catch up tho.


So..if they dont know, they MIGHT try to BS ya..so if you want, you can
get
the model and serial numbers, along with the brand name, and we can tell
you
how old it is from the serial, and what kind of unit (other than the
make
of
course) from the model...

They just told me that the unit is "10-12 years old". Odd that they don't
know exactly. I will request the model and serial numbers.


Good.



The house in question is over 20 years old, but beautifully and
lovingly
maintained and upgraded, so I'm operating on the hope that the HVAC
system
has been as well. Our offer will be adjusted based on what we
discover
about the system.

Ok..one thing about here in NC....take this as you will...
1-average life expectancy of a unit is 12-15 years...
2-NO ONE and I mean no one seems to understand one word....SERVICE.

Uh oh! I think I'll need the name of the service person also then. Maybe
I
could get a better idea from that question as to how the unit has been
maintained.

It may help, it may not. There are some things that any of them can do to
check it, and later, I will put together a list for you and pop it back on
your e-mail when you get the model and serial numbers and you can simply ask
them..if they are hacks, it will **** them off..if they are legit, it will
amaze them that they found a consumer that has a clue.


I have York customers that I deal with every week, and I am the first
York
dealer in my area in almost 15 years...and we go to check a problem, and
the
first thing to be found is lack of service..and I mean..OBVIOUS lack of
service. When you talk to a homeowner here, its like...You mean I have
to
have it CLEANED???
and of course, its never been touched other than a filter.
And of course, when the company comes to service it...its slap guages on
it,
maybe charge for refrigerant it does not need, since no one knows one
little
word there...superheat....and they are off...
Its a hell of a crapshoot, but just keep in mind the average
mentality....if
its not broke, we aint gonna fix it..and thats the way it is. Its the
most
depended on appliance in the home, (particularly here in summer) its the
most single expensive appliance in most cases, and its the most
neglected.

This is all great information to have. Thanks so much.
NP..and if you will mail the model and serial numbers, with the brand of
the
unit(s) we can get you more info.

I will do that! Your feedback is most appreciated!

Good luck on your move. Enjoy your time in NC...it takes some getting used
to, as my "West Coast Yankee" wife tells me from time to time, but she knew
she was in for culture shock when she moved here. Lucky for me, her dad was
very involved out of Hollywood and traveled a bit, and she used to go with
him so she had an idea of life here. I think she misses the desert from time
to time, but we go back often and kept a home there, so its not that bad. At
least when we have earthquakes here (yes..we have them here too) they are
normally nothing but a trembler under a 4...nothing at all like
Landers..last one was a couple of weeks ago, and was maybe a 2...2.5..we
felt it, but nothing like the daily ones in SouthernCA..

Get that info to me, and I will run it. I dont service the area unless I am
out that way, so if you need a dealer out there, there are several that I
know that I can suggest, but that does not mean you will get a great tech
always...but its a start.


ZsaZsa

"Dare" wrote in message
...

"Steve" wrote in message
...
I'm using a similar set up for the same size house in the Pac. NW.
(seattle
area)

It is more effecient than straight electric or propane heat. Naturual
gas
would be more ecconomical but it is not available in my rural area.

Heat pump heating starts getting expensive as the outside temperature
starts
dropping and as inside demand increases. The thermostat setting has a
lot
to do with this.. It takes a while for a cold house to heat up with a
heat
pump.. If you push the thermostat to 70 degrees when the house 40 and
the
outside temp is in the high 30s to low 40s. The electric heating
elements
will kick in to satify your 'demand'.. However if your willing to keep
your
sweater on for an hour or so and just set the thermostat intially at 55
to
60 deg. then they control logic of the unit will normally leave the
electric
elements off and allow the heat pump to do the bulk of the heating..


Hi....I've been reading this thread with interest since I have a
heat pump in the Asheville, NC area. I was wondering what
the most economical way of setting the thermostat would be...
No one is home for about 8hrs (6AM to 2PM) most days, but
a few times a month I am away for 1-2 days at the time.
Is it best to turn the thermostat fairly low when I'm gone(how low?)

With a heat pump, its best to pick a temp, and leave it. If you are going to
be gone for a couple of days, it MAY help to go to about 65F but keep in
mind if you do that on a daily basis, and then turn the thermostat up more
than 4F to get the home warm again, you are automatically telling the unit
to go into 1st and 2nd stage heat mode....control logic be damned.
Also, the 2nd stage heat will come on no matter what if the outside unit can
not maintain the thermostats set point. If you have it set at 55F and the
outside temp is say...19F, then the heat pump itself will normally NOT be
able to maintain the temp by itself. When the heat loss of the home, exceeds
the heat gain from the unit, the temps will drop, and the second stage heat
will indeed come on.


or is it more efficient to leave the house warmer(how high?) even
when I'm not there? Does the best strategy change depending
on how long I will be away?

Cutting it down will help, but not a huge amount. I leave mine at 74F all
the time, and thats if we are here or not. It is more a matter of personal
preference. Depending on the setup you have, sizing of the unit, and such,
you may find that you see enough of a savings to justify the cutback, but in
general, it is accepted in the industry that setback stats on a heat pump
are a waste of money.
Remember, electric is 100% efficient. Every dime you spend on heating the
home comes back in heat.
Losses happen in other places.


Outside temps here are usually 20's at night and 40's during the day,
with occasional teens for lows.

You guys have been warmer than we have to the East of you....LOL...weird
damn winter this year.

Thanks very much for any advice,
Dare Gaither

"CBhvac" stephenaddressscfrewedonpurpose@carolinabreezehva c.com wrote in message
...

"Dare" wrote in message
...

Hi....I've been reading this thread with interest since I have a
heat pump in the Asheville, NC area. I was wondering what
the most economical way of setting the thermostat would be...
No one is home for about 8hrs (6AM to 2PM) most days, but
a few times a month I am away for 1-2 days at the time.
Is it best to turn the thermostat fairly low when I'm gone(how low?)

With a heat pump, its best to pick a temp, and leave it. If you are going to
be gone for a couple of days, it MAY help to go to about 65F but keep in
mind if you do that on a daily basis, and then turn the thermostat up more
than 4F to get the home warm again, you are automatically telling the unit
to go into 1st and 2nd stage heat mode....control logic be damned.
Also, the 2nd stage heat will come on no matter what if the outside unit can
not maintain the thermostats set point. If you have it set at 55F and the
outside temp is say...19F, then the heat pump itself will normally NOT be
able to maintain the temp by itself. When the heat loss of the home, exceeds
the heat gain from the unit, the temps will drop, and the second stage heat
will indeed come on.


or is it more efficient to leave the house warmer(how high?) even
when I'm not there? Does the best strategy change depending
on how long I will be away?

Cutting it down will help, but not a huge amount. I leave mine at 74F all
the time, and thats if we are here or not. It is more a matter of personal
preference. Depending on the setup you have, sizing of the unit, and such,
you may find that you see enough of a savings to justify the cutback, but in
general, it is accepted in the industry that setback stats on a heat pump
are a waste of money.
Remember, electric is 100% efficient. Every dime you spend on heating the
home comes back in heat.
Losses happen in other places.


Outside temps here are usually 20's at night and 40's during the day,
with occasional teens for lows.

You guys have been warmer than we have to the East of you....LOL...weird
damn winter this year.


Thank you! I really appreciate your help.
I think I've been leaving the thermostat set too low.
It has been a very weird winter....you guys down there
have gotten a lot more snow than most of the mountains, too.
I'm just afraid we'll pay for it around here come March!

Thanks again,
Dare

"CBhvac" stephenaddressscfrewedonpurpose@carolinabreezehva c.com wrote in message
...


I jumped the gun on posting earlier...
I meant to also say how much I appreciate your advice
on a previous post I made about finding an easy-to-see
thermostat for my mother. We got the Honeywell model
that you and Turtle suggested and it has worked out great!
My mother loves it and shows it off to everyone who
comes to visit her. :-)
It really has made things much easier for her and she
asked me to send along her sincere gratitude.

Many thanks,
Dare...and Mom :-)

"CBhvac" stephenaddressscfrewedonpurpose@carolinabreezehva c.com wrote in
message ...

"ZsaZsa" wrote in message
r.com...

Ok..keep in mind this..
Real Estate Agents in that area....are like trained monkeys. Monkey
see...monkey do.

Don't I know it? We're in the process of taking a $10,000 bath on the
wonderful home a "relocation specialist" realtor stung us with when we
moved
here two years ago. Coming from California, we had no idea about the
housing
market here and depended on her advice about the price and location.
Suffice it to say that she couldn't have done a worse job. I'm moving
into
her neighborhood now, and hope I don't bump into her in the supermarket!

LOL..understand. I grew up in the area, and my wife is from Palm Springs.
After living out there for several years, we made the move back here to my
home.
That area is one of the highest priced markets in the state, and we
considered that area for a time since my mother and other family members
had
moved to the Ral/Durham area.
Plenty of supermarkets here...no Vons, no Albertsons, but Food Lions on
about every corner, and Bi-Lo isnt too bad...its a division of Vons IIRC.

I told our "relocation specialist" that I am a gourmet cook and wanted
access to a good supermarket. She put us in an area where the only store is
a dirty old Food Lion that caters to the hog maws crowd. It took me over a
year to walk through there without crying. I now drive 20 minutes to the
nearest Harris Teeter.


I have found ONE that I deal with, and shes not in your
area out there...that I trust. She asks the right questions, does the
right
things. I have bought 2 homes from her in 3 years...shes a no BS kinda
lady.

Human cloning is starting to hold more appeal! Good realtors are few
and
far between, that's for sure.


Only, and ONLY if we can weed out the gene pool first...LOL!

Yes, as long as they leave our genes in the pool! Oh, and your realtors!


Also, NC seems to be an extremely consumer unfriendly state, but don't
get
me started.

Nope...agreed. Its not exactly heaven in that regard. Its not real
friendly
to workers either. Right to work state.
We have got, thankfully, a pretty good system that CAN protect consumers
however, and in the HVAC end, we are second to CA with regards to the new
codes, and laws. Just takes a while for it to catch up tho.

My biggest beef are the laws concerning home owner's associations, all of
which are geared to benefit the developers. We have a story of a very ill
woman who had a forced forclosure because she was too sick to mow her lawn
or respond to the warning letters for a few months. Don't neighbors help
each other out anymore? Nice that we have homeowner's associations to do it
the dirty way.


So..if they dont know, they MIGHT try to BS ya..so if you want, you
can
get
the model and serial numbers, along with the brand name, and we can
tell
you
how old it is from the serial, and what kind of unit (other than the
make
of
course) from the model...

They just told me that the unit is "10-12 years old". Odd that they
don't
know exactly. I will request the model and serial numbers.


Good.

Here's the skinny on the heat pump:

Model # TWH0488140AB
Serial #E45333298
Trane
Servce: Metro, 517 Pylon Drive, Raleigh, NC

Thanks again for your help!

ZsaZsa

"Lawrence James" wrote in message
nk.net...
Any made in the last 15 years or so are pretty good. I have a pair of
trane
heat pumps in my lake house at kerr. Gas will cost you less though around
here (Raleigh). I would not pass on a house I liked just because it had a
heat pump instead of gas.

Looks like ours will be a Trane too. Thanks for the feedback!

"ZsaZsa" wrote in message
r.com...
Hi Y'all!

I love lurking here, I learn a lot.

Does anyone have thoughts on heat pumps? We're interested in purchasing
a
2200 sq ft house in North Carolina (Raleigh area) that has forced air
heat
and central air through a heat pump. I don't know a thing about them,
and
would appreciate any feedback on how efficient and cost effective they
are.

Also, keep in mind that if you have a heat pump for the hot air, you
likely have an electric water heater. Upgrading to gas/oil as the
backup heat unit for the heatpump may allow you to use gas/oil to heat
your hot water.

I've heard hot water is about 1/3 of energy bills.

Jay

Hi CB,

I don't know if you got this info. I buried it in my last post.

Here's the skinny on the heat pump in question as requested.

Model # TWH0488140AB
Serial #E45333298
Trane
Servce: Metro, 517 Pylon Drive, Raleigh, NC

Thanks for your help!

"ZsaZsa" wrote in message
.com...
Hi CB,

I don't know if you got this info. I buried it in my last post.

Here's the skinny on the heat pump in question as requested.

Model # TWH0488140AB
Serial #E45333298
Trane
Servce: Metro, 517 Pylon Drive, Raleigh, NC

Thanks for your help!



The serial says:
1990, week #45.

Model is no longer supported. No records of major warranty work performed.

Out of warranty of course, and estimated life is about up for this area.
Just keep that in mind.

Good luck and hope you "adapt" to the area..

Just get used to being called ma'am and hon alot...its normal and ok.

"CBhvac" stephenaddressscfrewedonpurpose@carolinabreezehva c.com wrote in
message ...

"ZsaZsa" wrote in message
.com...
Hi CB,

I don't know if you got this info. I buried it in my last post.

Here's the skinny on the heat pump in question as requested.

Model # TWH0488140AB
Serial #E45333298
Trane
Servce: Metro, 517 Pylon Drive, Raleigh, NC

Thanks for your help!



The serial says:
1990, week #45.

Model is no longer supported. No records of major warranty work performed.

Out of warranty of course, and estimated life is about up for this area.
Just keep that in mind.

Good luck and hope you "adapt" to the area..

Just get used to being called ma'am and hon alot...its normal and ok.

Thanks!! How do I address the men? Suh? (Sir, with a southern drawl)

I hate the "ma'am". It makes me feel like an old lady. I guess it beats
"hey you" or other worse things I could think of though!

The deal on the house fell through. Where can I vent about dirty dealing
realtors in North Carolina??

I really appreciate your help. It seems that heat pumps are pretty common
here, we're seeing them in other homes too, so all the info is most helpful.

It's amazing to see the look on seller's faces when I ask them if they have
service records for their heating system.

And yes, that means that I'm now looking for a for sale by owner. If I
never see another realtor in my life I'll be a happy camper. I figure that
instead of the owner paying out the realtor commission they can update the
heating system for a lot less. That would make me feel very warm and cozy.

ZsaZsa

Hi rj, hope you are having a nice day

On 24-Jan-04 At About 15:16:19, rj wrote to All
Subject: heat pump

r From: "rj"

r One thing to keep in mind, modern heat pumps have an outdoor
r thermostat to shut the pump off at temperatures below 40 F.

This is not quite true. with most systems the heat pump outdoor unit runs
constantly unless you have gas fired or oil backup.

r It just
r can't pull enough heat out of the air to heat your home. Then
r you're on "makeup" heat,

the second stage cycles to maintain the temp usually about 4 or so degrees
below setpoint.



-= HvacTech2 =-


... "Things don't bug you if you don't think about them." -- Calvin

___ TagDude 0.92á+[DM]
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ +++++++++++
spam protection measure, Please remove the 33 to send e-mail

One thing to keep in mind, modern heat pumps have an outdoor thermostat to
shut the pump off at temperatures below 40 F. It just can't pull enough
heat out of the air to heat your home. Then you're on "makeup" heat,
whatever it is that you're using, gas or electric.
"ZsaZsa" wrote in message
r.com...
Hi Y'all!

I love lurking here, I learn a lot.

Does anyone have thoughts on heat pumps? We're interested in purchasing a
2200 sq ft house in North Carolina (Raleigh area) that has forced air
heat
and central air through a heat pump. I don't know a thing about them, and
would appreciate any feedback on how efficient and cost effective they
are.

Recently, "ZsaZsa" created this masterpiece for
the newsgroup archives:

[snip]

And yes, that means that I'm now looking for a for sale by owner. If I
never see another realtor in my life I'll be a happy camper. I figure that
instead of the owner paying out the realtor commission they can update the
heating system for a lot less. That would make me feel very warm and cozy.

ZsaZsa



Note that not all real estate agents are "Realtors". Realtors are real
estate agents who have acquired membership in a national association of
real estate agents and agree to standards that are generally higher than
state laws. The association has a code of ethics. If you feel any
Realtor you have dealt with was unethical, you should determine if they
are in fact members of the National Association of Realtors, and report
them to the association. But keep in mind, unless you were working with
a "buyers agent", the agent is working for the best interests of the
seller, not you.



BE

"Bloated Elvis" wrote in message
...
Recently, "ZsaZsa" created this masterpiece for
the newsgroup archives:

[snip]

And yes, that means that I'm now looking for a for sale by owner. If I
never see another realtor in my life I'll be a happy camper. I figure
that
instead of the owner paying out the realtor commission they can update
the
heating system for a lot less. That would make me feel very warm and
cozy.

ZsaZsa



Note that not all real estate agents are "Realtors". Realtors are real
estate agents who have acquired membership in a national association of
real estate agents and agree to standards that are generally higher than
state laws. The association has a code of ethics. If you feel any
Realtor you have dealt with was unethical, you should determine if they
are in fact members of the National Association of Realtors, and report
them to the association. But keep in mind, unless you were working with
a "buyers agent", the agent is working for the best interests of the
seller, not you.

Thanks, yes, I do know the difference between an agent and a realtor, but
thanks for mentioning my inaccuracy.

I am using a "buyers agent", but she too gets paid by the seller, so it's
pretty much of a joke that she's working for us.

The main problem with her and other realtors I've used in the past is that
they don't know how to negotiate. I do, and it frustrates the hell out of
me that the actual parties involved in the transaction are prohibited by our
contracts to negotiate directly.

I've spent months studying the real estate process, most agents I talk to
think I'm one too when we first speak. I definitely know more about real
estate laws here in NC than my "buyer's agent" does. The problem is that
most agents here attend classes offered by real estate companies, and are
trained to promote practices that benefit the real estate business, not the
buyers and sellers.

OK, I'm going to stop my rant now. The bottom line is that I'm fed up with
the real estate industry. It's high time that we consumers learn how to
represent ourselves in these transactions with the help of an attorney to
review contracts etc.

Real estate agents are enormously overpaid for causing more stress and
expense than anything else. Does anyone even like them?

In my not so humble opinion, of course!

Cheers!

ZsaZsa