Need Heat pump advice ~ Quick!!

[Lizzy2]

So, I did a stupid thing and left my heat pump in a/c mode when I went to bed and over night the temp dropped. I woke up about 2am and smelled an electrical burning smell
I panicked and called the fix it guy who can't come until Wed-
Meanwhile, DH turns it on to heat and runs it all last night and there is no smell and it runs fine.
so should I still have the guy come? did I really break it? does anybody know anything about heat pumps?
I hate to spend the money for a service call if its not broken~

 

[swilshire]

Leaving the heat pump on a/c should not have any affect except to make you cold, I wouldn't think. The electrical smell would worry me, though. If DH ran it and it worked, it is probably fine, but a service call is probably in order any way. They can check out the system and make sure all is well before winter hits and you really need it.

Sheila

 

[mommyof3princess27]

Mine did that the other day we woke up and smelled that smell. i didnt turn my heat back on though because I was scared. The service call ended up costing us $500 because we had a back up heat system(little switch) burn up. We also go a 2 year service plan on that. He said regular maintaince(which we dont do and should) would have found it,..... good luck and I hope yours wasnt like ours

 

[estherhead]

Hmm... this doesn't make much sense. Leaving it on a/c should just make it not work, not break it. The only thing I can think is the smell you smelled was your furnace kicking on and after not working for months there sometimes can be dust accumulated that burns off. Depending on how your outside thermostat works, your furnace can kick on emergency heat even if your heat pump is set to cool.

But since I sell heat & cool maintenance contracts for a living, it's my professional opinion you should have them come anyway. I would just call the dispatcher back and explain what you just said to her & change your appointment to a seasonal maintenance call & not just a repair call. You'll get a more thorough inspection & cleaning that way, and it may even be cheaper since it is a flat rate price.

And I promise you I'm not making money off this, but really ya'll should have a maintenance check-up every year. Just like you get oil changes for your car. In the long run it will save you money as it will extend the life of your units. I have customers whose furnaces & h.p.'s are 20 years old & still kickin'. We only promise 10 years, but don't underestimate good maintenance.

 

[estherhead]

Just wanted to add that if I'm right & it is your furnace that is stinky, then it didn't smell bad when dh turned it on because that would have been the h.p. working, not the emergency h.p. Yet another reason to have you furnace checked out & cleaned.