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Heat pumps operate under a different principle from that of a traditional central ac unit. Furthermore, the heat pump is responsible for both the heating and cooling of your home. Therefore, due to that fact that it is responsible for far more, it is also more prone to issues and problems.

Problems with your heat pump are often difficult to figure out or even troubleshoot. However, familiarizing yourself with some of the most common problems and their solutions should help you get a head start on the matter once you do end up with heat pump problems in your HVAC system. Therefore, you will be making hefty savings in AC maintenance & repair while owning a properly maintained and operational system. Let’s jump right into the details.

Frozen heat pump during the winter or summer

No system is completely safe from external elements, be it a modern Goodman system or the usual Trane system or even Carrier systems. It is important to ensure that your HVAC system, especially your heat pump is well maintained during the winter.

Heat pump icing during the winter is not unheard of. During the long cold winter months, your heat pump is exposed to external elements and snow and ice eventually form layers on the heat pump. Modern heat pumps like those from Trane HVAC, include smart defrost modes which make them great at avoiding the problem. However, if your system does not support an automatic defrost mode, or the ice layer on top of your heat pump is far too thick, you will need to take some additional measures to fix your problem.

It is imperative that you solve the problem as soon as possible. This is because, once the ice or snow has been left on the heat pump for an extended period of time, the unit could become permanently damaged. Moreover, because the fins used in the compressor of the heat pump are more sensitive, you could easily damage the coil as well, and end up with an inoperable condenser.

Defrosting problems with your HVAC system’s heat pump during the winter

Winter icing is often a cause of a lack of defrosting. Usually, the heat pump is smart enough to control the defrost mode by switching between modes. However, should it fail, the unit quickly starts building its own ice casing. As far as the causes go, it could be due to the dysfunctional valves or damaged sensors and controls.

If the fan of your heat pump is compromised, you are looking at a much worse problem. Usually, ice formed for this reason requires a fan checkup if not a full-on fan replacement.

If your system is running low on refrigerant, there will be a layer of icing on your heat pump as well. This is because the low refrigerant prevents the heat pump from producing enough heat to melt off the residual frost. In this case, you will also be facing problems indoors as you will not be able to effectively change and adjust the temperature to your needs.

Next, if the outdoor unit is completely blocked off due to the frost, you might end up with damage to your air ducts as well. This, in turn, will cost a lot of money for a complete air duct replacement.

Finally, one of the main causes for frost on your heat pump is leaky gutters and pipes. Sometimes, these pipes and gutters offer a path for water to constantly drip onto the heat pump. The water soon turns into frost, and due to the leaky nature of the pipes, the frost continues to grow until it becomes a noticeable hindrance.

To deal with these problems, you should call in HVAC repair services to come in and quickly fix your heat pump, whether it needs a fresh batch of refrigerant, a new fan or almost anything else. These ac repair & maintenance services can also help with any subsequent air duct problems as well. Therefore, if the frost problem on your heat pump is extensive enough, you should consider hiring extra services for air duct cleaning, or in some special cases, air duct replacement.

Other problems your HVAC system’s heat pump faces during winter

The heat pump is not as great as the gas furnace when it comes to producing heat but it is designed to keep your home sufficiently warm over a long time. Therefore, long running time for your heat pump might not seem like an immediate cause of interest. However, experts in AC repair will disagree. Although inherent in its design, the heat pump should not be on all the constantly. This is often a sign that the refrigerant has leaked out somewhere, which leads to insufficient and inefficient heating. Furthermore, winter damage might have affected some of the components which make it harder for the heat pump to regulate the temperature in your home.

In cases like these, professional help is the best way to go as they are armed with the required expertise to come in and figure out what might be wrong with your heat pump or HVAC system.

However, a less apparent problem could be neglect. HVAC systems are often neglected and do not receive regular and proper maintenance runs throughout its lifetime. Therefore, it is entirely possible that you have not maintained your system properly and your heat pump has stopped functioning properly. Once again, HVAC professionals come to the rescue to fix the issue by performing a thorough air duct cleaning. From there, if they notice molds in your system, they will take mold removal steps to rid your home of mold spores. Finally, if your ductwork is in very bad shape, air duct replacement will be your only option.

Do not let leave your heat pump out to suffer as you will only be making a bad problem worse. In some cases, you might have to get a new HVAC installation and hire AC Replacement services to get rid of your old system.