Heat Pump Troubleshooting: Know When To Call For Help
If your heater isn’t working properly, the problem might be your heat pump. Heat pump troubleshooting can help you pin down the issue and possibly fix it. Some problems with the heat pump, however, are better left to a professional.
Here are some steps you can take to troubleshoot your home’s heat pump before you contact your HVAC technician:
- Check that the thermostat is on and set to the correct temperature setting.
- Turn on your fan. If the fan doesn’t start, check to see if any of the fuses or breakers for the furnace are broken or have been tripped. A tripped breaker might indicate bad wiring, a problem with the motor blower or a problem on the control board. A fan that doesn’t turn on might also indicate a problem with the thermostat, fan relay or low voltage wiring. These problems will require a professional’s attention.
- Try the emergency heat setting. If the fan turns on, switch the thermostat over to the emergency heat setting. Check that you have the set point at least five degrees higher than the room temperature. After about a minute, you should be able to feel hot air coming from the vents. No hot air indicates that the problem is either with your thermostat or the air handler. If hot air is coming out, the problem might be with the outdoor unit.
If no solution was found on the inside unit, it’s time to take your heat pump troubleshooting outside. Before heading out, be sure to turn the thermostat back to its normal setting. Once outside, check the:
- Refrigerant – Check your refrigerant levels to see if they are low.
- Defrost control – Set the control to manual defrost. If you have an older unit, advance the timer by hand. A newer unit might have an electronic board with pins you jump to initiate defrost. If the unit does not go into defrost mode, the problem might be with your defrost control.
- Outdoor fan – Check that the outdoor fan is running. If it is not, the problem might be in the wiring, the run capacitor or the fan motor.
For more in-depth heat pump troubleshooting, contact the pros at Symbiont Service Corp. We can guide you through the do-it-yourself troubleshooting tips or schedule an appointment to check ourselves. Whatever it takes, we’ll get your home back to a comfortable temperature for you and your family.
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about heat pumps and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
Symbiont Service Corp. serves Englewood, Florida and the surrounding areas. Visit our website to see our special offers and get started today!
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