The Tampa Bay winters are mild and often wonderful. But we can’t guarantee you’ll go through the whole season without needing to switch your heat pump over from cooling mode to heating mode. The reason to have a heat pump in the first place is to easily handle the occasional cool days without having to install a separate comfort system. You’ve got air conditioning and heating packed together in a single unit!
But what if you finally switch the heat pump into it’s heating mode, and the only air coming from the vents is either room temperature or cool? Something’s wrong, and we’re here to guide you through what it might be.
The Reversing Valve Dilemma
If it feels as if your heat pump is still working as an air conditioner, making your home even colder, the trouble often comes from a broken or stuck reversing valve.
What’s a reversing valve? It’s the great secret to a heat pump and what makes it different from a standard air conditioner. In most ways, your heat pump is identical to a refrigerant-based AC. A compressor forces refrigerant to circulate through the system to move heat from one place to another. In cooling mode, the heat pump operates the same as an air conditioner: remove heat from indoors, release it outdoors. The reversing valve, however, changes the direction the refrigerant moves. Change the valve, and the refrigerant flow now moves heat from outside and releases it inside.
So if this valve becomes stuck or otherwise broken, the heat pump will remain in one mode and never change. To get your heat pump out of cooling mode, call an HVAC technician to fix or replace the reversing valve.
The Clogged Air Filter
If the air you’re getting from the vents isn’t cold, it’s just not very warm, we recommend checking on the air filter of the HVAC cabinet. The filter may be clogged after months of cooling operation. When the filter is congested, the lower airflow into the cabinet means less air to heat. Change the filter for a clean one—and remember to continue to change it every 1 to 3 months after that.
Thermostat Failure
The heat pump may be fine … but the thermostat isn’t communicating with it accurately. If the thermostat isn’t sensing accurate indoor temperatures, or it has lost its connection to the heat pump’s reversing valve, then the pump either won’t turn to heating mode or will jam in cooling mode. Technicians can repair the thermostat or replace it.
We Have You Heat Pump Problems in Hand!
No matter the trouble you have with your heat pump great help is available with only a call. To arrange for the service for your Clearwater, FL heat pump necessary to enjoy comfort this season, rely on our team. We’ve been in business in the Tampa Bay Area since 1988, and we focus on honesty, integrity, and caring. We want you to receive the service you deserve—the same service we’d want for our own homes.
