Heat pumps have become increasingly popular as an alternative to traditional heating and air conditioning systems here in the Ocean City, MD area. They use the same principles as air conditioning – circulating refrigerant through a closed loop of valves and coils – to both heat and cool your home, helping you save money on monthly bills while combining all temperature controls into a single unit. This is the time of year when heat pump owners shift from heating to cooling mode, and as such you may run into a few common problems that we see a lot of this time of year. We’ve provided a short list of them below.
Fan Motor
The fan motor pushes the air through the ducts into your system, and after a long winter of work it may be suffering from wear and tear. That means a reduced air flow and a system that needs to work harder to do its job. The fan belt, too, may be loose and in need of tightening. Either way, a good service session should correct any issues.
Low Refrigerant
Your heat pump depends on a very specific amount of refrigerant cycling through a closed loop in order to function. It’s not supposed to leak, but it does, and when it does, your system won’t heat or cool the house the way it should. You need a technician to hunt down the source of the leak and recharge the refrigerant to their prescribed levels.
Broken Reversing Valve
If you try to shift your heat pump to cooling mode and it keeps blowing out hot air, the trouble may be with the reversing valve, which is responsible for reversing the flow of refrigerant in the system. This is an especially common problem this year, as people start shifting from heating to cooling more.
Call Atlantic Refrigeration today to correct any problems with your heat pump!