Heat pumps can be very energy efficient and cost effective, but they are also rather complicated compared to a standard furnace. This can make Southeast Michigan homeowners very anxious when their heat pumps have problems. Thankfully, basic heat pump troubleshooting is easy to do.
If your heat pump is not keeping your home at the correct temperature, or maybe isn’t even running at all, try these heat pump troubleshooting steps.
- Thermostat – First things first: Is your thermostat set correctly and communicating properly with your heat pump? Set your thermostat to “heat” and turn on the fan. If the fan doesn’t come on at all, it’s an electrical issue. If it blows cold air it’s probably an issue with the outdoor unit.
- Electrical Issues – Check that the power switch on or near the furnace is turned “on.” If that isn’t it, locate your breaker box and check for a blown circuit breaker to your unit. If you determine it’s not an electrical issue it could be anything from a long list of problems.
Other Heat Pump Issues:
- Auxiliary/Back-up Light: It’s not unusual for this light to be lit indicating that the electric coils on the furnace are engaged. However, if the weather is mild and the light remains on, there could be a problem with the outdoor unit, or the unit may have a blown circuit breaker.
- Ice and steam: During the heating cycle, your outdoor heat pump unit will often have a buildup of frost and ice. When you see steam coming off the unit that’s the automatic defrost cycle removing the excess ice. However, if the ice doesn’t go away and only gets thicker this could become an issue.
- Loud noises: If either your indoor or outdoor unit is making loud and unusual noises, switch off the system immediately to prevent further damage. Call for service.
If you have questions about your heat pump, or just want to better understand these heat pump troubleshooting steps, please contact us at Aladdin Heating and Cooling. We’ve been providing excellent service to homeowners in Southeast Michigan since 1945.
Our goal is to help educate our customers in Warren, Michigan 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.
Image courtesy of Shutterstock