My heat pump works well when it is running. Sometimes I feel cold and while I hear the unit in the basement running, the exterior unit is not running. I then have to push in a reset button (on the exterior unit) to restart it. This works for maybe 1/2 a day up to a week or so (no pattern) then I have to do this all over again. In the summer it did well. I did not have to touch the reset button, but this winter and last winter it was an ongoing thing (off and on) and of course it doesnt do it when someone is here to check the unit out. But when it does this the unit in the basement runs continously and it blows cold air. When I push the reset button on the exterior unit, it blows warm air. What is the deal? Any help?
2007-01-21 13:44:56 · 3 answers · asked by Anonymous in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
First, a heat pump is like an air conditioner that runs backwards in winter. It take the heat out of the outside air and transfers it to the inside.
Have you ever seen the coils on an AC freeze up? Well a heat pump can do that outside, even in winter. There are sensors on the outside coils that can tell when one part of the coil is frozen and the other part isn't. At that time, the unit goes into defrost.
Well guess what defrost is? It transfers heat from the inside back outside to defrost the outside coils. Usually during this time, it runs the electric heat coils.
You know what a small electric heater does, well every heat pump has the same thing that comes on when the heat pump can't keep up or the unit needs defrosting.
On your thermostat, there should be a selector that allows you to select, heat pump, heat pump + heating coils or just the heating coils.
Heat pumps are very technical and everything needs to work in unison or nothing seems to work.
I just had a repair bill for $400 on one of my rentals that has a heat pump. The outside controller bd was bad, the one of the electric coils was burnt out and the sequencer was bad.
Once fixed it worked fine, well as fine as a heat pump can work.
Just a little education about heat pumps.
They work best in temperatures above 30 degrees. They don't work at all when the temperature is below 20 degrees.
They make units that have buried lines that will work at most any temperature, but that adds significantly to the cost of installation.
However, when the unit is blowing cold air inside in the winter and the outside unit is not running, the unit is in defrost. It can take 30 minutes to defrost depending on the temperature. Let it cycle for an hour to see if it straightens up. If not there could be problems with the controller board or the sensors, and you will have to call and HVAC repairman.
Good Luck.
2007-01-21 14:13:53 · answer #1 · answered by A_Kansan 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
After years of experience with heat pumps, including in my newly constructed house (3 years old now), I dumped the heat pump idea and went back to central heat in the old fashioned way. It may cost more to operate, but it actually blows warm air instead of cold air and claiming to heat your house, which totally does NOT make sense, but costs money. To heat your house, get a heater. Dump the heat pump. God Bless you.
2007-01-21 13:57:20 · answer #2 · answered by ? 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Heat pumps only work when it is above 32 degrees.
2007-01-21 13:47:20 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
May be a faulty circuit breaker (thats the reset youre talking about)
...and heat pumps work down to any temperature...they are less efficient the colder they get
2007-01-21 13:48:18 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋