Signs of a Problem with Your Heat Pump Defrost Cycle

Heat pumps use the same basic cycle as air conditioners to both warm and cool your home, making them an excellent all-in-one system for your home. They work especially well in areas with warm winters, making them a very good fit for places like Jacksonville, FL. You can help minimize repair costs by identifying potential trouble spots early and calling in a qualified repair technician with all deliberate speed. For example, look for signs of a problem with your heat pump defrost cycle.

The defrost cycle is activated by the defrost control, which detects ice building up on the evaporator coils and uses the reversing valve to briefly reverse the heating process to melt the ice on the coils. When the ice has melted, the control turns off, and heat pump returns to its normal heating mode. You probably can already spot places where problems may occur:

• The defrost control may misread the temperature, preventing the cycle from starting.
• The reversing valve solenoid my malfunction, preventing the heat pump from reversing the heating.
• The defrost control may misread when the ice has melted, meaning that the process will continue to run even when it’s no longer needed.

When you spot signs of a problem with your heat pump defrost cycle, you can contact the experts at AC Designs, Inc. to help. We operate in Jacksonville, heating repair is our specialty, and we understand the particular repair needs of all varieties of heat pumps. If yours is acting up, whether it’s the defrost cycle or some other issue, don’t hesitate to give us a call right away. You’ll be glad that you did!