Why Isn’t the Heat Pump Keeping Your Home Cool?

Heat pumps are a good way to simplify your HVAC installation, able to take over the duties of a traditional furnace and keep your home at a comfortable temperature year-round. However, relying on a heat pump all year long makes it that much more important to know how to respond if the pump stops doing its job. If your Delaware-area home isn’t cooling as it should, follow these tips to check up on it:

• Check the unit’s settings. Heat pumps of some models need to be manually switched from heating to cooling mode. Check to see if your unit is one of them, and set it to cool if it isn’t already set. If the unit still isn’t functioning, set it to fan only mode to see if the fan itself is operational; if not, the unit may need to be repaired.
• Change your air filter. A dirty or clogged air filter, or a filter that’s obstructed by furniture or other objects, can prevent air from flowing through your HVAC system as easily as it needs to. This means that less air is delivered into the heat pump for cooling, and less is circulating through your home.
• Check to see if pump has frosted over. If it has, you may need to defrost the heat pump – either by putting it into a defrost mode, or by running it in fan only mode for a while.
• Make sure the unit is plugged in, that it hasn’t blown a fuse, and that the circuit breaker for its outlet hasn’t tripped.
• Check your thermostat settings. If you have a thermostat model that’s battery-powered, check to make sure its batteries are good. You may also try lowering your thermostat setting by five degrees to see if cooling will kick in – the sensor may be in a cooler part of your home.

Have a licensed HVAC professional check the refrigerant levels in your system.For more information on taking care of your heat pump, contact us today at Sobieski Services, Inc.

Photo Credit: andrewr via Compfight cc