Chances are, if you have a heat pump, you’ve been very happy overall with the efficiency of the system. Heat pumps are great! And as long as you make sure to get regular maintenance done, it’s likely to keep working smoothly, with only occasional problems that require repair.
When you do have an issue, you’ll need to promptly call a technician to resolve it. The repair will be easier and the problem will be solved faster if you catch it early. Here are some of the most common issues we see with heat pumps. If you notice any of these things happening, you need prompt heat pump repair in Fort Walton Beach, FL.
1: Leaking Refrigerant
If the heating and cooling power of your heat pump seem to be gradually declining, loss of refrigerant due to a leak somewhere in the coils could be the culprit. And if this decline in your comfort is accompanied by a hissing sound, it’s almost surely a refrigerant leak.
Don’t panic, but do reach out for repairs straight away. The capacity of your system will continue to go down as more of the critical refrigerant is lost. But leaks can be repaired, and refrigerant can be refilled. As soon as that’s done, your heat pump will be back in business and your comfort will be restored.
2: Icing Up
Your heat pump has an indoor component and an outdoor component. Refrigerant runs through coils outdoors, absorbing or releasing heat as needed. While it may seem perfectly reasonable to expect ice to form over anything outdoors if the weather gets cold enough, your heat pump was designed with this in mind.
An automatic defrost cycle takes care of this before it causes any problems. However, if the defrost cycle is failing to get the job done, you need repairs right away. Ice can block ventilation and prevent the coils from absorbing or releasing heat. Not only will the heat pump fail to do its job, but the strain this puts on the system can also cause major components to fail.
3: Reversing Valve Failure
Perhaps your heat pump has been performing beautifully all summer, keeping your home delightfully cool, but when you try to switch it to heating mode as the weather changes, you get nothing but icy cold air. Or, it could be the reverse, and you can only get heat from it no matter how hot it gets outside.
This is a problem with the reversing valve, the component that changes the direction of flow, and allows you to alternate between bringing warmth into the house and releasing warmth outside the house. While this may seem like a disaster—especially on the first day of drastically different seasonal weather—this valve can easily be replaced by a qualified technician.
So, to keep your heat pump working beautifully, make sure to invest in regular maintenance. Then, keep an ear out for hissing, an eye out for ice, and get a prompt repair if you’re unable to keep your home at the temperature you desire.
For professional heat pump maintenance and repair, look no further than Kool Breeze of Northwest Florida, Inc. Contact us today!