The "subject" is a 5 ton single phase 16 SEER two-stage with communicating thermostat and two-stage 95% furnace. Oddly, it never had been set up to even read outdoor temperature and therefore had never been used in heating. While setting it up, I noticed a severe refrigerant leak at the indoor expansion valve and took care of that. It would be just "wrong" if Goodman got the idea that Ice COLD made the system leak. We take care of this little stuff before we begin any testing.
We saw the results from another test where the oil in the evaporator immediately returned from the evaporator to the compressor and how well it improved evaporator capacity. Thinking this effect would be wonderful in a heat pump as it gets really cold, I could imagine that the system would enjoy a boost in capacity, especially when it gets really cold.
Long story, short, it DID. Below about 25 degrees outside, the system running times became noticeably shorter after the product was installed.
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This can be a big deal for heat pump customers who have expensive supplemental or standby heating. We found that IceCOLD at Goodman lowered the point where additional heat is needed by about 10 degrees. With rising electrical rates and skyrocketing LP prices, this is a very big deal.
We will do additional low temperature research to support these conclusions. This could revolutionize our current marketing strategies.
