Reasons Why Your Heat Pump May Not Be Cooling Like It Should

If you use a heat pump to warm and cool your home, you need to be able to adequately troubleshoot the unit. Sometimes heat pumps struggle to maintain a set temperature, and understanding why can help you address the problem quickly and effectively. Here are some of the reasons why your heat pump may be struggling to keep up against this summer's heat.

Too Much Warm Air Coming In

If your home has air leaks around the windows, doors, and attic, you may simply have too much warm air coming in from outside for your heat pump to keep things cool. The heat pump can combat some warm air passing through, but it will struggle to keep up if there's too much of it. Consider having your doors and windows sealed better to help prevent this.

The Heat Pump Is Iced Up

Sometimes your heat pump will have a hard time cooling because the unit has iced up. If this happens, you can usually shut down the pump for a little while to let it thaw and then restore power. However, if it has iced up to the point where a shut-down period doesn't seem to be helping, you'll need to call a local air conditioning service technician to address the problem. He or she can determine the cause of the issue and fix it.

The Heat Pump Isn't Running

If your heat pump isn't running at all, that is a sign of more serious issues. Start by ruling out the simple things. Make sure that it is getting power by checking the circuit breaker, then check to ensure that the pump hasn't been inadvertently put into defrost mode. If neither of these is the issue, you'll need an air conditioning service technician to do some routine service and determine the cause of the issue.

In some cases, this can be caused by low refrigerant or even a serious malfunction inside the pump itself. Your air conditioning service technician can test the refrigerant pressure and determine if there is a leak or troubleshoot the other internal components to find the malfunction.

The more you understand about why your heat pump isn't working, the easier it is to troubleshoot. Talk with a local air conditioning service technician today for more information and to have your heat pump serviced for the upcoming heat of the summer. Being proactive can help you reduce the risk of problems over time.