A heat pump offers an energy-efficient alternative to furnaces and air conditioners for climates with moderate day-to-day heating and cooling needs. It’s also incredibly dependable, cost-effective and long-lasting, making it a high-performance piece of equipment that’s become the standard in modern green homes. In fact, heat pumps make up a large percentage of comfort systems in use across California as the state pushes for clean energy.
Still, it’s not uncommon to encounter some fairly unique issues with your heat pump. If you’re having trouble with a heat pump that’s blowing cold air in heating mode, then you’ve come to the right place. If you’ve been telling yourself, “I need to look for a heat pump or air conditioning repair company near me,” first read this article to learn more about the potential causes of your problem, as well as how heat pumps function in heating mode.
Heat Pumps in Heating Mode
Heat pumps have been around for many years, and are mainly utilized in locations that normally experience mild, wet winters. However, air-source heat pump technology has advanced in recent years, which means these systems can also be effective in areas with longer periods of subfreezing temperatures.
A heat pump can shift from air conditioning mode to heating mode by reversing the refrigeration cycle, compelling the outside coil to operate as the evaporator and the indoor coil as the condenser. Then the refrigerant will flow through a system of refrigeration lines between the outdoor and indoor units.
In the winter, the heat pump will draw heat energy from the outside air with the condenser coil and send it into your home via the evaporator coil. The heated air will be pushed through connecting ducts to air vents all over your house, raising the interior temperature. This cycle will continue until your interior space is comfortable enough and you and your family are feeling snug and toasty.
Reasons Your Heat Pump Is Blowing Cold Air
A heat pump that’s pushing out cold air even when on the heating setting is a common issue that many heating and air conditioning service technicians encounter over the years. This also presents an alarming situation that needs to be addressed before the entire house begins to feel frosty and everyone is draped in layers of thick, knitted sweaters.
There are two possible reasons for this specific heating problem, one of which homeowners who aren’t overly familiar with heat pump systems can run into.
Possible Scenario #1: It’s Not Actually Blowing Cold Air
This case can be a bit confusing, but there’s a clear-cut explanation for it. It’s important to understand that heat pump systems operate differently than standard furnace units. With a well-regulated furnace, the heat being produced and eventually released into your home starts out at 110 degrees or more. A heat pump, on the other hand, generates a lower temperature, typically 90 degrees or so.
Since a healthy body temperature is often higher than this, it can make the air coming from your pump feel a lot cooler than you would expect. Instead of a powerful blast of heat as from a furnace, think of a heat pump as a source of a steady, balanced stream of warm air.
Good news! If this is the reason, then there’s no real problem here, according to a reputable air conditioning service provider. A well-maintained heat pump system is more than capable of keeping pace with wintry conditions and supplying you with a pleasant, temperate atmosphere within the four walls of your home. In the event that the outdoor unit is actually lagging behind, your heat pump has a backup system ready to operate like a regular furnace unit. It fires up when your heat pump isn’t able to maintain the indoor environment in its usual way.
Possible Scenario #2: There’s a Problem That Needs Immediate Repair
If your heat pump is actually blowing cold air, there are a few things that may be wrong with your equipment. Fortunately, most of them can be easily taken care of by a trained and experienced heat pump technician. Here are the component issues that you could possibly be experiencing:
Your heat pump has a low level of refrigerant. Refrigerant is the substance that absorbs heat from outside air and sends it into your home. If your heat pump is low on refrigerant, this indicates that you have a leak, since refrigerant circulates in a closed-loop system. If your refrigerant line has a leak, there will be insufficient refrigerant to draw in an adequate amount of heat to successfully warm up your home.
Be sure to call a professional HVAC repair company to do a maintenance check to properly address this issue. The technician will need to patch up the leak as well as top off your refrigerant.
Your heat pump has a failing reversing valve. A crucial component of heat pumps, the reversing valve is responsible for reversing the flow of refrigerant in your system, essentially switching your heat pump from cooling mode to heating mode and vice versa. If the valve is faulty or damaged, your heat pump may not be changing modes correctly, meaning that your system may actually be in cooling mode, in which case the air blowing from your vents will be cold, not warm.
The only effective way to fix this mechanical problem is to contact a reliable technician and have them take a look at your heat pump unit.
The fan is set to “on”. Another setting on your thermostat is the fan. If you want your heat pump to only blow air in the fall and winter when it’s heating your home, then it should be set to “auto” instead of “on”. A thermostat that’s set to “on” will allow the heat pump to push out air whether it’s heated or not. Being able to inspect seemingly small details can afford you a lot of benefits, including having a comfortably warm home in the dead of winter and skipping a tedious HVAC repair process.
Your outdoor unit is extremely dirty. It’s been established that your heat pump heats your home by drawing in warm air from outside. However, your heat pump will struggle to soak up warmth from the outdoors if the coils on the outdoor unit are caked with dust and dirt and clogged with debris and organic litter such as leaves, needles and bark, resulting in less heated air being transferred into your home.
To confirm if this is your issue, go outside and take a quick glance at your outdoor unit. If your compressor is filthy, it is time to get it professionally cleaned.
Contact Us for HVAC Repair and Installation Services Today
If you have an issue with the way your heat pump is blowing cold air or if you’re simply looking for “heat pump or air conditioning repair near me”, Albert Air Inc. — a premier source of top-rated heating and air conditioning solutions in and around Fullerton, CA — is here to help you. Our trained, experienced staff is committed to providing the safety and comfort that you and your family deserve through superior installation, repair and maintenance services, as well as helping upgrade the quality of your living situation. Call us at (714) 248-0238 or fill out our contact form to set up a consultation.
