It’s wintertime, and your heat pump lines are freezing up. There’s a thin layer of ice forming on the surface of your heating system, and it doesn’t appear that it’s going away anytime soon. The most reliable way to deal with these types of problems is to book a service appointment with your local heat pump and air conditioning specialist. However, you may also find it beneficial to learn a few facts about heat pumps and how they operate so you can better understand what causes problems with icing in the first place.
Let our skilled HVAC technicians at Kemnitz explain the reason your heat pump is freezing up and suggest ways to deal with this issue.
How Heat Pumps Work
As a heating system, heat pumps are best suited for areas that don’t have extreme temperature changes. Heat pumps don’t necessarily generate their own heat. Instead, they simply transfer geothermal or air-source heat from one place to another with the use of refrigerants. This means you might also need to top off refrigerant levels in a heat pump, much like you would recharge central AC levels in other types of HVAC systems.
Frozen Heat Pumps
California has fairly mild winters, so it’s unusual for the temperature to cause anything to freeze on your heat pump. This happens because heat pumps work in cycles. Ice forms when heat pumps are in heating mode. This means their coils draw in heat from the environment, which is perfectly normal. However, this shouldn’t cause excessive icing on the unit.
Resolving Icing Problems
Iced-up heat pumps lose performance and efficiency points. If you notice that your heat pump is bogged down by a thick layer of ice, power down the whole system and give your local heat pump and AC repair technicians a call right away. Don’t attempt to DIY a repair, as this might cause worse damage to your heat pump.
At Kemnitz, we’re your leading provider of heat pump and air conditioning installation, maintenance and repair services. Give us a call at (949) 453-8500 or fill out our contact form to schedule a service visit today. We serve homeowners in Orange County and nearby areas.
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