Look Out for These 4 Wintertime Heat Pump Problems
Heat pumps are powerful and versatile enough to keep you comfortable at any time of year in Tampa, FL. Nevertheless, the winter presents a series of unique challenges these systems probably won’t encounter when the weather is warmer. Therefore, you need to know about the following four winter-related heat pump problems:
Dirty Air Filter
As your heat pump’s filters clean the air that passes through them, a film of debris will coat them. Eventually, this film may become so thick as to impede the further movement of air. Once this happens, your home may start to feel chilly.
To restore proper airflow, you must keep your filters clean. To do this, remember to clean or replace them at least once every three months.
Airflow Problems
Dirty air filters are major causes of poor airflow, but they aren’t the only ones. If your heat pump’s blower motor malfunctions or one of its fans falls out of position, for example, airflow can also significantly diminish. If things like this happen, then you may not remain comfortable this winter even if your heat pump can generate warm air.
Our HVAC service techs can take care of these airflow issues for you. If you remember to supply your heat pump with annual maintenance, you will prevent them from happening in the first place.
Refrigerant Leaks
As with the things we’ve previously discussed, refrigerant leaks pose a perennial danger. Nevertheless, because your heat pump simply won’t be able to heat your home without refrigerant, leaks can make your winter quite uncomfortable.
Refrigerant is a substance that, through an alternating cycle of evaporation and condensation, transports heat from one area to another. When your heat pump is in heating mode, refrigerant sits inside its outdoor evaporator coils, absorbs heat from the outdoor air and evaporates. Then, refrigerant travels to the compressor, which raises its temperature and pressure, before finally condensing in the indoor condenser coils and releasing heat into your home.
Refrigerant leaks will diminish your heat pump’s ability to perform this kind of work, which makes it essential to stop them. However, since refrigerant is dangerous, only trained professionals should curtail leaks and refill your system.
Ice Buildup
Given the rather mild winters in Tampa, it may seem unlikely that ice buildup can ever become a serious problem for any heat pump that operates there. While it’s true that stray moisture inside your heat pump probably won’t freeze under normal conditions this winter, there’s another way in which ice might appear.
Though we’ve already mentioned some of the debilitating effects that a refrigerant leak can have on your heat pump, there’s one issue we haven’t yet brought up. Since, without a sufficient quantity of refrigerant, your heat pump’s evaporator coils won’t be able to absorb much heat from the air that surrounds them, the temperature prevailing in their immediate vicinity may significantly decrease, even during a relatively warm winter.
Once this happens, any stray condensation in the area may well freeze and harden into blocks of ice. If any ice forms on the evaporator coils, less of their surface area will make contact with the ambient air, which will further diminish your heat pump’s heat absorption capabilities. As a result, your system’s overall efficiency will plummet, possibly causing a cascade of other problems to occur.
What’s more, your heat pump’s defrost mode function may either fail or underperform. If that happens, all of the ice-related heat pump problems we’ve mentioned will only get worse.
Before you can effectively face down and diffuse wintertime heat pump difficulties, you must know about them. With the knowledge that we’ve shared here, you can anticipate many problems and have our service techs fix them before they become serious. If you live around Tampa, FL, and need help with that important work, call Advanced Cooling Systems and ask for our heating services.
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