It’s always heat pump season. That’s one of the amazing things about these systems: they provide comfort for both hot and cold weather. Right now, with colder winter weather than we’re used to in Florida, you’ll rely on your heat pump to deliver warm air to your house and family.
But what if it doesn’t? Although heat pumps are built to rigorous standards, they can still malfunction like any other complicated electronic device. Even with the best maintenance—which can eliminate more than 50% of repair needs—you still may need to call our technicians for heat pump repair in Lake City, FL at some point.
With that in mind, let’s look at some of the more common repair needs that can crop up for a heat pump.
Replacing the reversing valve
The reversing valve is one of the essential parts that makes a heat pump different from an air conditioner. This valve controls which direction refrigerant travels as it leaves the compressor, and this controls whether the heat pump operates in cooling or heating mode. If the valve breaks, the heat pump will become stuck in one mode or the other. If you’ve got a heat pump that won’t change modes, then the reversing valve is the prime culprit. The best way to fix the problem is for our technicians to replace the valve.
Sealing refrigerant leaks and recharging the heat pump
Leaking refrigerant is a major trouble that affects heat pumps, and it can often occur after only five years of operation. Losing refrigerant not only jeopardizes the heating and cooling power of a heat pump, it jeopardizes the heat pump itself. A low refrigerant charge will eventually lead to the compressor overheating and possibly requiring replacing the entire heat pump. Our technicians can help avoid this by locating the leaks and sealing them. After that, we have to recharge the heat pump to its factory level of refrigerant so it can work normally again.
Fixing thermostat connections
You may find that your heat pump isn’t responsive to anything you do on the thermostat, or perhaps it responds in some ways but not others. This problem could be due to frayed connecting wires from the thermostat to the heat pump. We can rewire the thermostat or even install a new thermostat.
Electrical repairs
A heat pump runs on electricity, and failed electrical components can bring the unit to a complete stop. Among the more common electrical repairs a heat pump needs are fixing stuck motor relays, replacing worn motor bearings, replacing burnt-out motors, and fixing issues with the control board.
Adding a hard start kit
A heat pump is said to be “hard starting” when it takes more energy to power up the compressor motor at the beginning of a cycle. This puts immense strain on the compressor and drains excessive energy. The best way to overcome this is for our technicians to attach a hard start kit to the compressor that supplies the additional power necessary to overcome the resistance of hard starting.