Your heat pump does a lot for your home comfort, especially since it’s used for both heating and cooling. That’s a lot of stress for one system, and as we all know, sometimes that stress is enough to damage an HVAC system.
Heat pumps are different from your standard AC or heater. Heat pump repair in Savannah, GA might be required if your heat pump isn’t switching modes like you want it to.
Let’s run through some of the most common problems with heat pumps and what we can do about them.
You May Have a Stuck Reversing Valve
Inside your heat pump is a line of refrigerant. There’s a reversing valve that alters the flow of that refrigerant when you switch modes. If this valve is stuck, it can’t switch from heating to air conditioning, and vice versa. It could be stuck in either mode, or stuck between them. Stuck valves can occur even if you maintain a proper maintenance schedule; they just happen.
The common misconception is that your heat pump is completely broken when it won’t switch modes, but that’s not the case. This can be fixed with a new reversing valve.
The Culprit Could Be Clogged Air Filters
Air intake is a much more critical element to any HVAC system’s functionality than people assume. Obstructed airflow can absolutely prevent your heat pump from switching modes.
Those air filters should be changed every 30 days to keep your heat pump working properly. While you can go longer, we recommend getting in the habit of changing out air filters that often.
Once you switch out the filter, inspect to see how much dust was trapped in the old one so you get a frame of just how much it pulls out of the air. If your heat pump switches modes, congratulations: that’s the easiest and cheapest option on this list.
A Bad Solenoid
When you switch modes, a solenoid helps convert an electrical signal (the one coming from your thermostat) into mechanical action. It’s what actually helps the valve switch over.
But just like anything else, a solenoid can “go bad” or break. It’s not easily visible to you, the homeowner, because there’s no real change in how your heat pump looks or sounds when this happens.
A Miscalibrated Thermostat
Your thermostat reads the temperature in the air, then checks it against the temperature you set, and sends a signal to your heat pump when it needs to fire up and alter the temperature.
But what if your thermostat is sending the wrong information? This is exactly what happens when your thermostat is miscalibrated. It assumes the temperature is higher or lower than it actually is. Your heat pump is fine, but the way it’s being told to turn on or not is having trouble. Repairing, recalibrating, or replacing your thermostat should fix this issue.
Don’t Worry—It Can Be Repaired
Your heat pump having a difficult time switching modes doesn’t mean you need to replace the entire unit. Let us help you restore your heat pump, whether the issue is on this list or something else entirely.
Contact AAction Air Conditioning & Heating Co. Inc. today where we’ll always provide quality work at a fair price.
