I recently bought a 3 ton aciq unit. It took me hours to figure out the diagrams. Best I can tell I have a 3 heat 2 cool system since I have the heat strip installed. If you are using a regular thermostat to control indoor and outdoor you have to turn on SW1-1 and SW1-4. SW-1 tells it you are controlling the indoor with a 24v thermostat. SW1-4 tells it you are controlling both indoor and outdoor with a 24v thermostat. If you ran the rs485 2 wire to the outdoor you and want to use a 24v to control the indoor you only need to set SW1-1 to on. Also SW-4 1-3 sets your fan CFM, there is a table you can look up to match your size and heat strip. Past that S4 on the board controls the w1/w2 and DH settings. You can turn the Dehumidifier off as well as have it control w1 and w2 separately if you had multiple heating types, like electric heat and a oil furnace. The wiring for indoor and outdoor 24v thermostat control is confusing at best. I opted to do 24v indoor and rs485 outdoor. Best of my knowledge these are 2 stage heat and cool at least on the 3 ton since it says "Variable inverter twin rotary compressors". The compressors is key there, the 3 ton is twin compressor.
Can i ask why you think its a 3 heat 2 cool system? because i just got a 2 ton unit same ACIQ unit with 8kw electric heat. and im thinking its a 2 heat 1 cool. im just not sure about the cooling stages, because technically its a inverter which means it modulates/ ramps up or down. A 2 cool would mean it kicks into 2nd stage. Anyfeedback is appreciated Thx
On mine the main reason is the mention of a twin scroll compressor, plus the 2 separate coils in the outdoor unit. I also called hvacdirect and spoke with one of their techs to verify because I was doubting myself. Very nice people there.
The reason for the 1 & 2 terminals, 2 stage operation. If you are only running single stage, depending on the unit, you either use the 2 terminal or you jumper them. Typically on heat pumps with a toaster inside I wired them up as: R= 24v hot W= aux heat Br= em heat Y= call for compressor O/b= should be selectable in your t stat whether it is energize for heat or energize for cool in the installer setup menu and to match your equipment G= fan Bl= common And I used whatever leads I had left for an outdoor Tstat in unit so as to switch over below a certain temp to aux heat. In your case, your aux heat is your emergency heat.
So this is technically a communicating system. The default install is communicating (rs-485) from indoor to outdoor and then there is a 24v interface board in the indoor unit. This allows the use of "stupid" thermostats that only call for cool/heat. Midea/ACIQ is a air-conditioner with a heat pump mode (B mode heat pump). The documentation is awful. Ikea would be apalled it's so bad. I did finally figure out WTF was going on. I think the push for increased SEER/EER is going to see most systems go to a hybrid model. Why there isn't a standard for RS-485 and RS-485 thermostats is a whole other argument that defies common sense. Running 5 to 12 unshielded wires all over the house is stupid IMHO. However, having the air handler and condenser work in communicating mode allows for better throttling. This is a DC inverter system with a 20 to 125% of it's nameplate rating swing range. It's labeled as a 3 ton system but can go from 7,000 btu to 50,000 btu. Bet the EER isn't that nice at 50K btu. SEER is bs anyway because systems are rarely installed in test lab conditions. It's only useful as a benchmark between systems. 70 inside with 104 outside isn't going to give you the rated efficiency on any system. lol.
@@hotpuppy72 I figured the board in the air handler was an interface from “kachunk” relay legacy thermostat to the constantly variable setup native to the unit. It would appear that it’s legacy interface is hoping for a 2 stage t stat so it can modulate around the stages that the old style stat recognizes. But without seeing it physically, I’m unsure. As for instructions sucking, that is becoming more and more par for the course. Had someone spent a little money on a bi lingual technical writer… oh well 😂🤣
For some reason HVACDirect did not think the communicating thermostat was worth installing. ACIQ/Midea ships the unit with a nice communicating thermostat. Right now I'm running it with a Honeywell T9. The T9 has a nice wifi / app which is it's huge advantage. Past that, I don't generally change the temperature of my house. The system does seem to be modulating on it's own. I've been reviewing the energy consumption of the house. I have an enPhase Envoy installed as part of my solar with net metering probes. I get really good data from it.
@@hotpuppy72 I’m very interested in if it is living up to its efficiency. I loved the old pro8000 because of its built in fossil fuel kit for heat pump. If it comes with a good stat, I would probably switch it, but it’s personal preference
@@hotpuppy72 Do you have any thoughts on how the system is modulating? According to the specs that ACIQ provides, there is a "MAX" output and COP and a "Rated" output and COP. Do you have any way to tell how the system decides how efficient if you don't use the stock modulating thermostat? For example, the ACIQ-48-HPB unit puts out 11KBTU at 47F with a COP of 3.88 and 55KBTU with a COP of 2.83 (also at 47F). If I use a dumb thermostat that has no way to tell the the condenser how far away from the set point I am, doesn't it have no choice but to run at max output with crappy efficiency? I would want a system that sees that if the indoor temp is 60f and the setpoint is 68f, it needs to run at full capacity until it gets a few degrees away from the set point temp.. Say 66f. Then kick down to lower output and higher efficiency. According to duty cycle tests I took on my old furnace, my house load is about 770 BTU/Deg F so that means at 47f my duty cycle would be about 0.28 which is pretty close to the low capacity rating and the highest COP efficiency at that temperature. Any thoughts after looking at your enPhase data?
Why didn’t you just use the wired thermostat with the remote that is supplied? Or did you not receive one in that package. It only requires 2 wires and has full feature ability.
I was originally told not to use that... ACIQ said a 24v thermostat was better. Someone later called me and discussed the communicating thermostat with me. I switched over to it and it's more efficient, but fairly primitive compared to a wi-fi thermostat.
So which one is in service now? I'm not concerned about the Wi-Fi aspect of a stat and am in process of installing 2 of these 3 ton units. The air handler is direct wired from the breaker right? I have a 10kw heat strip in each which as you said it the video will likely never be used but redundancy is king. Problem is it's 6-2 Romex, a real pain to work with lol
So which thermostat wiring diagram did you end up settling on? They have a bunch of diagrams to pick from, but don't bother explaining why I might want to choose one over the other...For example, there are TWO options for 1H/1C - either using W or B...does the way the air handler operates actually change by choosing a different 24V thermostat wiring scheme? And moving on to the 2H/2C options is there an added benefit such as more control over fan or compressor speed? I've been wracking my brain just to get the damn thing working, and got it working with the basic 1H/1C (using W rather than B), but I can't help but think the thing isn't running as efficiently as it should, especially since the blower motor seems to be running at full blast when there's a call for cooling, running for 5 minutes or less before the call is satisfied. And don't even get me started on their included thermostat/wired controller! The fan NEVER turned off for the week or two that I had it installed and it was running at high speed, regardless of the setting. HVAC Direct support insists that's the way it's supposed to be, but that CAN'T be right!
I used the heat pump one. There are two ways to wire a heat pump. This one needs to be wired as an Air Conditioner with a heating mode. The diagram with the O/B connection is for a heat pump. O/B is for AC w/heat or Heat w/AC. I don't remember which is which with O and B. Your thermostat cares about this as it tells it which mode requires the reversing valve to be called for. I would be very interested in seeing the communicating thermostat power consumption. The 24v control doesn't seem as smooth as I would expect it to be. I have not had time to try and get ACIQ/HVACDirect tech support on the phone. Last 2 times were unsuccessful and I basically figured everything out on my own.
@@hotpuppy72 I moved my W wire to B and have noticed no change in the way the air handler works, just that the thermostat is now aware that it's hooked up to a heat pump. Fan speed is still way too fast and the system runs in short spurts based on the call for cooling being satisfied quickly.
@@gsowa You also have to change some DIP switches. They were not set right when the unit arrived. Make sure to download the latest install manual. It's a little clearer on the switch settings / locations.
@@hotpuppy72 more than one dip switch? We just flipped the one for 24v thermostat. Where did you download the latest diagrams from? HVAC Direct sales website?
@@gsowa Yes, download on the product page... and yes I had to set several dipswitches on the indoor unit as I recall. It's always a good practice to go through and make sure the indoor and outdoor switches are set correctly.
I recently bought a 3 ton aciq unit. It took me hours to figure out the diagrams. Best I can tell I have a 3 heat 2 cool system since I have the heat strip installed. If you are using a regular thermostat to control indoor and outdoor you have to turn on SW1-1 and SW1-4. SW-1 tells it you are controlling the indoor with a 24v thermostat. SW1-4 tells it you are controlling both indoor and outdoor with a 24v thermostat. If you ran the rs485 2 wire to the outdoor you and want to use a 24v to control the indoor you only need to set SW1-1 to on. Also SW-4 1-3 sets your fan CFM, there is a table you can look up to match your size and heat strip. Past that S4 on the board controls the w1/w2 and DH settings. You can turn the Dehumidifier off as well as have it control w1 and w2 separately if you had multiple heating types, like electric heat and a oil furnace.
The wiring for indoor and outdoor 24v thermostat control is confusing at best. I opted to do 24v indoor and rs485 outdoor. Best of my knowledge these are 2 stage heat and cool at least on the 3 ton since it says "Variable inverter twin rotary compressors". The compressors is key there, the 3 ton is twin compressor.
Can i ask why you think its a 3 heat 2 cool system? because i just got a 2 ton unit same ACIQ unit with 8kw electric heat. and im thinking its a 2 heat 1 cool. im just not sure about the cooling stages, because technically its a inverter which means it modulates/ ramps up or down. A 2 cool would mean it kicks into 2nd stage. Anyfeedback is appreciated Thx
On mine the main reason is the mention of a twin scroll compressor, plus the 2 separate coils in the outdoor unit. I also called hvacdirect and spoke with one of their techs to verify because I was doubting myself. Very nice people there.
The reason for the 1 & 2 terminals, 2 stage operation. If you are only running single stage, depending on the unit, you either use the 2 terminal or you jumper them.
Typically on heat pumps with a toaster inside I wired them up as:
R= 24v hot
W= aux heat
Br= em heat
Y= call for compressor
O/b= should be selectable in your t stat whether it is energize for heat or energize for cool in the installer setup menu and to match your equipment
G= fan
Bl= common
And I used whatever leads I had left for an outdoor Tstat in unit so as to switch over below a certain temp to aux heat. In your case, your aux heat is your emergency heat.
So this is technically a communicating system. The default install is communicating (rs-485) from indoor to outdoor and then there is a 24v interface board in the indoor unit. This allows the use of "stupid" thermostats that only call for cool/heat.
Midea/ACIQ is a air-conditioner with a heat pump mode (B mode heat pump). The documentation is awful. Ikea would be apalled it's so bad. I did finally figure out WTF was going on.
I think the push for increased SEER/EER is going to see most systems go to a hybrid model. Why there isn't a standard for RS-485 and RS-485 thermostats is a whole other argument that defies common sense. Running 5 to 12 unshielded wires all over the house is stupid IMHO. However, having the air handler and condenser work in communicating mode allows for better throttling. This is a DC inverter system with a 20 to 125% of it's nameplate rating swing range. It's labeled as a 3 ton system but can go from 7,000 btu to 50,000 btu. Bet the EER isn't that nice at 50K btu. SEER is bs anyway because systems are rarely installed in test lab conditions. It's only useful as a benchmark between systems. 70 inside with 104 outside isn't going to give you the rated efficiency on any system. lol.
@@hotpuppy72 I figured the board in the air handler was an interface from “kachunk” relay legacy thermostat to the constantly variable setup native to the unit. It would appear that it’s legacy interface is hoping for a 2 stage t stat so it can modulate around the stages that the old style stat recognizes. But without seeing it physically, I’m unsure. As for instructions sucking, that is becoming more and more par for the course. Had someone spent a little money on a bi lingual technical writer… oh well 😂🤣
For some reason HVACDirect did not think the communicating thermostat was worth installing. ACIQ/Midea ships the unit with a nice communicating thermostat. Right now I'm running it with a Honeywell T9. The T9 has a nice wifi / app which is it's huge advantage. Past that, I don't generally change the temperature of my house.
The system does seem to be modulating on it's own. I've been reviewing the energy consumption of the house. I have an enPhase Envoy installed as part of my solar with net metering probes. I get really good data from it.
@@hotpuppy72 I’m very interested in if it is living up to its efficiency. I loved the old pro8000 because of its built in fossil fuel kit for heat pump. If it comes with a good stat, I would probably switch it, but it’s personal preference
@@hotpuppy72 Do you have any thoughts on how the system is modulating? According to the specs that ACIQ provides, there is a "MAX" output and COP and a "Rated" output and COP. Do you have any way to tell how the system decides how efficient if you don't use the stock modulating thermostat? For example, the ACIQ-48-HPB unit puts out 11KBTU at 47F with a COP of 3.88 and 55KBTU with a COP of 2.83 (also at 47F). If I use a dumb thermostat that has no way to tell the the condenser how far away from the set point I am, doesn't it have no choice but to run at max output with crappy efficiency? I would want a system that sees that if the indoor temp is 60f and the setpoint is 68f, it needs to run at full capacity until it gets a few degrees away from the set point temp.. Say 66f. Then kick down to lower output and higher efficiency. According to duty cycle tests I took on my old furnace, my house load is about 770 BTU/Deg F so that means at 47f my duty cycle would be about 0.28 which is pretty close to the low capacity rating and the highest COP efficiency at that temperature. Any thoughts after looking at your enPhase data?
Why didn’t you just use the wired thermostat with the remote that is supplied? Or did you not receive one in that package. It only requires 2 wires and has full feature ability.
I was originally told not to use that... ACIQ said a 24v thermostat was better. Someone later called me and discussed the communicating thermostat with me. I switched over to it and it's more efficient, but fairly primitive compared to a wi-fi thermostat.
So which one is in service now? I'm not concerned about the Wi-Fi aspect of a stat and am in process of installing 2 of these 3 ton units. The air handler is direct wired from the breaker right? I have a 10kw heat strip in each which as you said it the video will likely never be used but redundancy is king. Problem is it's 6-2 Romex, a real pain to work with lol
So which thermostat wiring diagram did you end up settling on? They have a bunch of diagrams to pick from, but don't bother explaining why I might want to choose one over the other...For example, there are TWO options for 1H/1C - either using W or B...does the way the air handler operates actually change by choosing a different 24V thermostat wiring scheme? And moving on to the 2H/2C options is there an added benefit such as more control over fan or compressor speed? I've been wracking my brain just to get the damn thing working, and got it working with the basic 1H/1C (using W rather than B), but I can't help but think the thing isn't running as efficiently as it should, especially since the blower motor seems to be running at full blast when there's a call for cooling, running for 5 minutes or less before the call is satisfied.
And don't even get me started on their included thermostat/wired controller! The fan NEVER turned off for the week or two that I had it installed and it was running at high speed, regardless of the setting. HVAC Direct support insists that's the way it's supposed to be, but that CAN'T be right!
I used the heat pump one. There are two ways to wire a heat pump. This one needs to be wired as an Air Conditioner with a heating mode.
The diagram with the O/B connection is for a heat pump. O/B is for AC w/heat or Heat w/AC. I don't remember which is which with O and B. Your thermostat cares about this as it tells it which mode requires the reversing valve to be called for.
I would be very interested in seeing the communicating thermostat power consumption. The 24v control doesn't seem as smooth as I would expect it to be. I have not had time to try and get ACIQ/HVACDirect tech support on the phone. Last 2 times were unsuccessful and I basically figured everything out on my own.
@@hotpuppy72 I moved my W wire to B and have noticed no change in the way the air handler works, just that the thermostat is now aware that it's hooked up to a heat pump.
Fan speed is still way too fast and the system runs in short spurts based on the call for cooling being satisfied quickly.
@@gsowa You also have to change some DIP switches. They were not set right when the unit arrived. Make sure to download the latest install manual. It's a little clearer on the switch settings / locations.
@@hotpuppy72 more than one dip switch? We just flipped the one for 24v thermostat. Where did you download the latest diagrams from? HVAC Direct sales website?
@@gsowa Yes, download on the product page... and yes I had to set several dipswitches on the indoor unit as I recall. It's always a good practice to go through and make sure the indoor and outdoor switches are set correctly.