How the Daikin FIT Handles Freezing Temperatures. Daikin’s FIT system is an advanced heat pump that can handle both heating and cooling for your home. Coming from a leader in HVAC innovation, the Daikin FIT’s advanced technology keeps your St. Louis home comfortable no matter the temperature outside.
If you are looking to upgrade to a Daikin FIT system or have any other HVAC needs, get in touch with SmartHouse at 314-644-1570 or contact us online.
Heat pumps like the Daikin FIT work by moving heat either into or out of your home, rather than by generating heat like a traditional furnace. This has the advantages of increased energy efficiency (saving you money) and more consistent performance (keeping you comfortable).
It accomplishes this through a refrigerant mechanism. The refrigerant works a bit like a sponge for heat – it absorbs as much as it can from the air while evaporating, then releases that heat after it’s compressed and condenses back into a liquid. This works exactly like a traditional AC during the cooling season; during the heating season, the process is simply reversed.
An advantage of using this technology is that the Daikin FIT can serve as both a heating and cooling solution, simply by reversing operation:
Now that we’ve discussed how heat pumps work in general, how does the Daikin FIT work in the cold winter months? Where does it absorb the heat from?
The answer, simply enough, is – it absorbs it from the outdoor air.
Even though it may not feel like it to us, there is still abundant heat energy available in the air, even in the coldest winter temperatures. The Daikin FIT allows the refrigerant to evaporate in the outdoor coil, absorbing the heat, and then brings it back indoors to release.
Older heat pumps couldn’t operate in freezing St. Louis temperatures, but modern technological advancements, such as improved coil design and thermostatic expansion valves, have greatly improved heat pump capabilities. Daikin FIT heat pumps can even operate in outdoor temperatures as low as -10°F!
Heat pumps move heat rather than generate it which is more energy-efficient than combustion generated heating. But if you’re concerned about your comfort on the coldest nights of the year and want to keep some heat generation around as a backup, you can combine your Daikin FIT with a high-efficiency gas furnace, creating a dual fuel system.
You keep all the advantages of a heat pump, but also have a gas furnace available for backup heat. Since the Daikin FIT can operate well below freezing, the gas furnace is only activated in the rare instances when St. Louis’ weather dips enough that a heat pump isn’t as efficient as a gas furnace. Combining efficiency, comfort, and reliability, a dual fuel system can offer the best of both worlds.
If you’re not sure whether to switch over to a heat pump entirely or stick with a hybrid system, we’re available to help. Contact us today – if you have any questions and we’ll give you honest advice about what makes the most sense for your St. Louis home.
Not every St. Louis house needs a complete HVAC system makeover. Sometimes changes to a house structure, like an addition, can create uneven heating. Or, spots lacking insulation, like corner rooms and basements, can struggle to hold in heat.
For these situations, a Mitsubishi Ductless Mini Split is a great fit – ductless heat pumps provide both cooling and heating, without relying on the existing ductwork in your home, so it’s perfect for conditioning a single room or hard to reach area.
SmartHouse Heating and Cooling – your Mitsubishi Diamond Contractor – can help with adding a Mitsubishi Ductless Mini Split to your home, or can help with other temperature zoning projects to bring your whole home to a comfortable balance.
SmartHouse Heating and Cooling, your local Daikin Comfort Pro, specializes in Daikin FIT systems, and will help you get the most out of your new heat pump this winter and beyond! Our licensed, insured, factory-trained teams install every system with precision, following our industry’s highest standards, ensuring a fully code-compliant installation.
We’re proud of both our people and processes:
We’re available 24/7 via phone – call us at 314-644-1570, text us at 314-310-2242, or set up an appointment online for assistance.
