Cooling-Season Heat Pump Problems
In summer a heat pump is an air conditioner, and it fails like one - capacitors, contactors, fan motors, low charge. But three failures are heat-pump-specific:
- Stuck or leaking reversing valve - the system cools poorly no matter how long it runs, or blows warm when it should blow cold; a straight AC does not have this part
- Low refrigerant charge - a heat pump short on charge limps in both seasons, so a leak found in June saves a no-heat call in January
- Control and defrost board faults - the boards that manage mode switching fail more than any other electronic part on these systems
If your heat pump runs almost continuously and the house never quite reaches the setpoint, that is not a quirk of the technology. It is a service call, and you are paying for it every month on the Dominion bill.
Heating-Season Problems We Repair All Winter
- Auxiliary heat that never shuts off - the electric strip heat is meant to assist on the coldest mornings, not carry the house; when it runs constantly your bill can double, and the cause is usually a failed sensor, board, or low charge
- Outdoor unit encased in ice - frost is normal, an ice block is not; that is a defrost cycle failure
- Cold air from the vents in heat mode - often the reversing valve or a unit stuck in defrost
- Loud grinding, screeching, or banging outdoors - fan or compressor trouble; shut it down and call
Repair or Replace a Heat Pump?
The same halfway rule applies - when a repair approaches half the cost of replacement, the math flips - but heat pumps earn one extra consideration: they run year-round, so a 12-year-old heat pump has the wear of a much older air conditioner. A failed compressor or reversing valve on a unit that age is usually the moment to talk replacement honestly. A five-year-old unit with a bad defrost board is a repair, full stop. You get the number first and decide with it in front of you.
Same-Day Heat Pump Service, Both Seasons
Richmond, Henrico, Chesterfield, and Hanover - including Glen Allen, Short Pump, Midlothian, Brandermill, Mechanicsville, and Ashland. Summer no-cool and winter no-heat calls both get same-day priority. Call (804) 361-4250
.