Your home can be comfortable all year long with a heat pump. It will keep you cozy in the winter and cool all summer. And it does it all with impressive efficiency, saving you money every time your electric bill arrives. But in order to keep doing all that, it needs to stay in good condition.
The way to keep your heat pump happy is to have maintenance performed by a qualified professional twice a year and to get repairs done speedily when any problem arises. The key is to notice right away that something’s wrong. Here’s a quick rundown of all the ways you might spot heat pump trouble quickly so you can have it repaired before it gets worse. With a bit of awareness and the necessary heat pump repair in Covington, LA, your heat pump can provide ideal comfort at all times.
1. Noises
We’ll give you some examples of noises you don’t want to hear your heat pump making, but the real key is to listen when it’s working well (say, shortly after maintenance) because those are the only sounds you should hear. Anything else is a sign that the heat pump is struggling with something.
An unhappy heat pump might groan, grind, bang, rattle, clatter, buzz, click, whistle, bubble, or hiss. These sounds could be made by the compressor, the blower fan motor, refrigerant leaking from the coils, or even just a slightly loose screw somewhere. Your HVAC technician will get to the root of the problem and resolve it for you.
2. Odors
Unlike with sounds, your heat pump should simply never emit any odors at all! If you smell anything, repairs are needed. Chemical smells may come from leaking refrigerant. A burning smell might indicate an overheating motor. The smell of mildew or vinegar can occur if mold or bacteria are growing in the condensate pan. Electrical fires can smell like fish! Don’t ignore odors. Get repairs promptly.
3. Poor Performance
You shouldn’t have to be uncomfortable in any part of your home, at any time of the year, when you have a heat pump. Some spots being colder or hotter than others, low airflow or the wrong temperature of air from your vents, or the temperature varying too widely are all signs of trouble. It might be as simple as needing to have your thermostat recalibrated!
4. Short Cycling
There’s a component that will shut the heat pump down if it gets too hot inside. This prevents the motor from burning out. But if you don’t have the system repaired, it will just keep turning on and then off again. Your home will never get the temperature distribution you need, and your energy bills will get higher and higher! Short, rapid heat pump cycles mean it’s time for repair.
5. Inability to Switch
At the end of winter, when it starts to heat up outside, you’ll need your heat pump to switch modes and function as an air conditioner for the summer. What if it refuses to change over to cooling? That’s a problem with the reversing valve, which can easily be repaired by a qualified HVAC technician.