Troubleshooting a Heat Pump During Winter Weather
Atlanta Heat Pump Repairs
A heat pump should ideally be serviced every year to ensure it will be operating at peak efficiency both when you need to cool your home during the Atlanta’s sultry summers and on those occasions when Old Man Winter heads South. During those days or weeks when you depend on your heat pump to actually pump up the heat, the device is subject to several common occurrences that have you wondering if it’s too late to schedule that service call tomorrow. Knowing what to look for when troubleshooting a heat pump that isn’t keeping you warm may alleviate that anxiety and allow you to wear short sleeves inside the house again.
Potential Heat Pump Issues
A Moment of D’Oh! Don’t feel too bad if you experience the urge to let loose Homer Simpson’s most famous utterance when you realize that the reason your heat pump is no longer keeping the house warm is simply because the thermostat was set too low for the unit to kick on. Or the unit was turned off altogether. Everyone can relate to the experience of adjusting the thermostat or turning off the unit altogether and, well, just forgetting to go back. It happens. The important lesson to be learned is that from now on the very first thing you do any time your heat pump doesn’t seem to be heating efficiently is to check that the thing is on and the thermostat is where it should be.
Uneven Temperatures with Heat Pumps
Mama’s Office is Hot, but Daddy’s Kitchen is Cold. Ever notice that your heat pump seems to be really quite good at warming some parts of the house, but not others not so much? Those fluctuations in temperatures from room to room may be less the result of a heat pump in need of repair than the registers of air ducts needing to be managed better. Even a partially closed air duct can result in one room feeling substantially colder than a room of the same dimensions in which the ducts are completely open.
Heat Pump Sounds
Stop, Listen and, if Necessary, Look. One excellent bit of advice for heat pump owners is to listen closely enough to learn what the appliance sounds like when operating efficiently. That way you will become attuned to changes in heat pump cycling. Shorter than normal cycling between when a heat pump turns on and off can often point toward a problem caused by an obstruction outside. If you take notice of the sounds of shorter cycling, head to the outside unit and clear away any obstructions to efficient air flow such as grass, weeds, trees, vines or even things like toys, garbage cans, Christmas decorations and other debris. The sound of short cycling with your heat pump should also direct you to make sure you didn’t forget to change the air filter.
Atlanta Heat Pump Repair Experts – Empire Heating and Air Conditioning
For more advice on how to keep warm during the winter in Atlanta with a heat pump, please contact Empire Heating and Air Conditioning at (404) 596-6161.