Your heat pump saves you money every month on your utility bills over your old heater and air conditioner combo, but that only matters so much when you can’t flip from one mode to the other. It’s a problem that’s unique to heat pumps, but it doesn’t have to mean catastrophe.
In this post, we’ll tell you what you can do right now that may fix the problem. If it doesn’t, there’s always professional heat pump repair in Marysville, WA that you can count on. Let’s dive into it.
It Means Your Air Filter Might Need to be Changed
These are forced-air systems, so more often than not, you’ll find that there’s a problem with the air intake. When this happens, you need to switch the air filter out. Put a new filter next to your current one for comparison. They get mighty dusty, don’t they?
The air filter’s purpose is to prevent debris from getting into the system and coating the components, which would make operation harder. When the filter does its job and captures debris and dust before it enters, the capacity for more air to come through lessens. This happens until it causes operation issues, and simply switching out the air filter could be enough to remedy the situation.
You Could Have a Faulty Solenoid
A solenoid is a small mechanism, like a miniature switch with two sides to it. On one side, you have heating, and the other has cooling. This solenoid tells the heat pump which mode to switch to, so if it’s not working, it would explain why your heat pump can’t flip from one function to the other.
Unfortunately, this isn’t a DIY fix. Solenoids are usually soldered to the machine; they’re not modular. This requires a professional HVAC technician to handle the problem for you.
Your Heat Pump Might be Fine, Your Thermostat Could Be the Culprit
Think of your thermostat as a controller. It gauges the temperature of your indoor air, then when it falls outside of the target temperature by a certain amount, it sends a signal to your heat pump to turn on. Then your heat pump waits for a signal to turn off again.
But what if it’s not gauging the temperature correctly in the first place? If it isn’t reading the temperature properly, it can’t know when to send the signal. Your heat pump ends up looking like it’s on the fritz, but in reality, it could be your thermostat.
This is solved with thermostat calibration, which essentially means programming your thermostat to read the temperature accurately. You can do this on your own if you have the manual for the thermostat, or if you’re not keen on it, you can wait for your technician to handle it for you. It’s always possible that the thermostat is just broken and needs to be replaced as well.
Time for Some Heat Pump Care
If changing your air filter and calibrating your thermostat doesn’t do the trick, then it sounds like you need professional repairs. We’re at-the-ready and available to help you out as soon as possible. Give us a call today and we’ll get to your home, assess the problem, and have your heat pump up and running again before you know it.
Contact us today to schedule your heat pump repair as soon as possible.