Spring may be arriving in Virginia Beach, VA, but that doesn’t mean the weather will agree. If your heat pump malfunctions, it can leave you shivering under your covers on an unseasonably cool night. If you find that your system is blowing cold air when it’s supposed to be operating in heat mode, here are three possibilities to consider.
How Heat Pumps Work
Your heat pump doesn’t work exactly the same as a traditional forced-air HVAC system, and its operation changes based on the temperature outside your home. Heat pumps pull the heat from the outside air and move it into your home. It may seem contradictory, but no matter how cold it is outside, there’s still heat available to serve the needs of your system and keep you and your family warm inside.
A Matter of Perception
There are times when it may feel like your heat pump is blowing cold, but the air is only cooler than your own body temperature. When temperatures drop into the 20s outside, your heat pump will produce air at temperatures of 80–90 degrees. This is more than enough to heat your house, but it can feel cool against your skin and fool you into thinking there is a problem.
Defrost Mode
Your heat pump, like your refrigerator, must actively fight off the natural frosting of its coils through a timed defrosting procedure. Your heat pump will do this periodically in a two-minute process. If you happen to check on the air coming from your heat pump when it’s in defrost mode, it’ll seem that it’s cooling rather than heating your home.
Actual Failures
If it isn’t freezing outdoors and your heat pump continues to put out air that feels cold for more than a few minutes, then you have a heat pump that requires service. The coils could have frozen over due to a failure in the defrost system, or it could be low on refrigerant. Other options for failure exist as well, so your best bet is to call a technician to repair your heat pump.
If you have any concerns about the functioning of your heat pump in the Virginia Beach area, call us at Absolute Comfort Heating & Cooling, Inc., to schedule a service call. Our expert technicians will have you sleeping in comfort in no time.
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