Panasonic heatpump: does yours keep up with temperature?

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freitasm

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#288378 24-Jun-2021 17:34

Our heatpump seems to never reach or keep the temperature set. For example the heatpump is set to HEAT, temperature is set to 25c with fan set to AUTO but the room is actually 20c (according to two devices).

If we really want the temperature to go above a certain level then we have to push the POWERFUL button so the fan forces a lot of heat around - but that mode doesn't stop at the set temperature.

Anyone else seeing this kind of behaviour with these heatpumps?

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#2733964 24-Jun-2021 18:02

We have two Panasonic heat pumps installed late last year, Aero Series Z71VKR and Z25VKR.

I find they do a reasonable job of warming the rooms, I leave the larger one in our living area at 22 degrees Auto on heat, and it's pretty good at getting it up to temp and keeping it there. We have ~3m ceilings in that room but it still manages well.

I do find the "iAUTO-X" feature a bit unintuitive though. I can't get much consistent behaviour out of it, it seems to just blow cold air at high speed... But granted I haven't yet read the manual to find out what it's supposed to do.

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#2733970 24-Jun-2021 18:29

Floor console here. Temp is always exact. What’s the model number?

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freitasm

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#2733978 24-Jun-2021 18:59

It is a CS-Z50TKR.

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#2733984 24-Jun-2021 19:24

How big of a area is it trying to heat? It is a 5kW heatpump. If it’s trying to heat a really big area that it was not correctly sized for by installer or if it is really cold, the compressor outside may be struggling a bit as well to catch up.

Do whatever you want to do man.

MadEngineer

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#2733986 24-Jun-2021 19:26

Troubleshooting Guide; Refrigeration Cycle System - Panasonic CS-Z20TKR Service Manual [Page 113] | ManualsLib

Start with the temperature differences

After 15 minutes on heating mode it should be able to achieve a +14 degree difference in heat

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Scott3

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#2733992 24-Jun-2021 19:57

freitasm:

Our heatpump seems to never reach or keep the temperature set. For example the heatpump is set to HEAT, temperature is set to 25c with fan set to AUTO but the room is actually 20c (according to two devices).

If we really want the temperature to go above a certain level then we have to push the POWERFUL button so the fan forces a lot of heat around - but that mode doesn't stop at the set temperature.

Anyone else seeing this kind of behaviour with these heatpumps?

Chuck your thermometer up on top of the heat pump. Potentially the heat pump (and it's intake thermometer) are sitting in a bubble of hot air near the ceiling.

Logic of powerfull mode for ours was in the manual. I think it overshoots the setpoint by something like 2 Deg.

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#2734001 24-Jun-2021 20:21

I can pop up with an IR thermometer some time if you like, check temps around the room, on the heat pump, etc. Or you can just borrow it.

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#2734006 24-Jun-2021 20:43

it could depend on where it's checking the temp.

MadEngineer

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#2734014 24-Jun-2021 20:55

^ it doesn't have a remote sensor.

It does however have a human sensor but this will only change the temperature by +/-2 degrees c (and the louvers).

You're not on Atlantis anymore, Duncan Idaho.

freitasm

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#2734027 24-Jun-2021 22:15

Scott3:

Chuck your thermometer up on top of the heat pump. Potentially the heat pump (and it's intake thermometer) are sitting in a bubble of hot air near the ceiling.

Logic of powerfull mode for ours was in the manual. I think it overshoots the setpoint by something like 2 Deg.

I think this is the answer. Heatpump is set to 26c. One thermometer in the lounge says 21c but the one on top of it says 25c...

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fe31nz

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#2734052 25-Jun-2021 02:32

freitasm:

Scott3:

Chuck your thermometer up on top of the heat pump. Potentially the heat pump (and it's intake thermometer) are sitting in a bubble of hot air near the ceiling.

Logic of powerfull mode for ours was in the manual. I think it overshoots the setpoint by something like 2 Deg.

I think this is the answer. Heatpump is set to 26c. One thermometer in the lounge says 21c but the one on top of it says 25c...

Heatpumps understand that their intake is high in the room and is going to get higher temperature air than what the lower down humans will feel. Their firmware has a compensation factor built in, but it is only a guess and every room will work differently. In our dining room, I set the HP to 19C and get 21-22C. The dining room has relatively large windows compared to its size. In the sitting room, a setting of 20C gets about 21C - that room is well insulated. In my bedroom, 16C gets around 18C on ordinary days with the fan on maximum, but needs to be set higher when it is colder. It also needs to be set 1C higher if the fan is set to auto, as the heat gradient in the room increases with the lower airflow. In the kitchen, the big 7.2 kW Panasonic unit is set to 19C to get 21-22C on ordinarily cool days, but needs to be set 1-2C higher when the temperature outside nears 0C as the room has bad insulation and huge window space with aluminum frames that leak heat badly. And a small louvre window too - they are diabolically bad for drafts. With all our heat pumps though, they heat the room to a higher temperature than their setpoint. The only time I have had a heatpump heat to lower than its setpoint was when we had the kitchen unit replaced and the installer botched the job. It was leaking gas! So I suspect that your HP is not working properly. Your description matches what I found when the gas was leaking, but our leak was so bad that it got worse every day and then stopped heating at all. The simple test to find out if it is working properly is to put a thermometer or heat probe directly in the output airflow of the HP and turn it on full power and set the setpoint to its maximum. The outflow air should be 50C or a little more. If it is not, then the HP is likely faulty.

@pih

The iAUTO-X feature uses a sensor to direct cold airflow to you as you walk around the room. It seems to work, but I have never tested it with more than one person in the room.

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#2734059 25-Jun-2021 06:54

Try putting it on a higher fan setting to push the air away from the unit and encourage mixing, and having the heat pump blow the air largely down rather than up / out.

MadEngineer

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#2734645 25-Jun-2021 18:41

freitasm:

Scott3:

Chuck your thermometer up on top of the heat pump. Potentially the heat pump (and it's intake thermometer) are sitting in a bubble of hot air near the ceiling.

Logic of powerfull mode for ours was in the manual. I think it overshoots the setpoint by something like 2 Deg.

I think this is the answer. Heatpump is set to 26c. One thermometer in the lounge says 21c but the one on top of it says 25c...

Thermometers should be placed at head height in the room being monitored as this is from where the body tends to judge the temperature.

You're not on Atlantis anymore, Duncan Idaho.

Scott3

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#2734816 25-Jun-2021 22:04

freitasm:

I think this is the answer. Heatpump is set to 26c. One thermometer in the lounge says 21c but the one on top of it says 25c...

Sweet.

Perhaps one of the following options would resolve the issue:

Compensating with an even higher set point.
Stiring up the air in the room with a fan.
Extending the thermoprobe wire's, and relocating.
Adding an external controller with a temperature sensor at an appropriate elevation. haven't checked comparability, but something like this? https://www.panasonic.com/nz/support/product-archives/product-archives-consumer/air-conditioning-heat-pumps/accessories/cz-rtc3.html

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#2734861 26-Jun-2021 09:12

You can see this behaviour if the filter(s) are blocked leading to cavitation of the fan. Everything seems to work, it cycles on and off, but the room doesn't heat.

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