Thanks for all the help, guys. Here's the text of a PM I just sent to Gene (Z-Link Cobra). It pretty much sums up where I'm at with this so far. If anyone has any further ideas on this please feel free to pass them along. I can't believe I'm confused by my HVAC system.
I think I got it sorted out. Look like I have a "hybrid" heating system - Apparently from what I have been able to learn the heat pump is the primary source of heat, with the gas furnace to kick in as back up at lower outside temps where the heat pump is not so effective. I'm thinking that the main source of my confusion now is with the thermostat that's in there. I was able to download the installation and setup guide, as well as the owners operation guide, from the internet. To say that the documentation is poorly written would be an understatement. I'm still trying to sort out some of the details of how to operate this darn setup. The T'stat is a Carrier non programmable digital, looks like mid to late 1990's vintage. Hopefully I get it all sorted out soon. I think it's working ok now. It's hasn't been very cool outside. I need to figure out what temp that the gas furnace is supposed to kick in at. The thermostat has a button sequence that you can press to get the outside temp displayed at the moment. This module is optional. One of the display functions is to display dashes if this module is not installed when you try to call up the outside temp. My thermostat shows the dashes instead of the outside temperature, which tells me that the sensor is not installed in my system. How in the world does this crazy system know when to turn on the gas furnace as backup, and how do I find out what that temp is and adjust it if necessary? Boy, I miss the simplicity of my old system in NY. Is the heat pump that much more efficient than a gas furnace to put in a wacky system like this? I'm paying about $0.13 per KWH for electric, so the juice isn't super cheap down here.
