Key Signs Your Heat Pump Needs Repair

Heat pumps are efficient, affordable, and easy to use. For these reasons, they are becoming a more common heating and cooling solution for homes in the U.S. However, if you are relatively new to the idea of heat pumps and having one in your home, you may not know what to expect from the unit's function. In particular, you should be aware that the following signs mean your heat pump needs repairs.

It doesn't cycle on and off.

Your heat pump, just like a furnace, should turn on for a bit and then turn off again. If it instead turns on and keeps running and running, something is amiss. Often, this means that one of the sensors in the heat pump has been damaged. It might not be registering that the room has reached temperature, and so the heat pump just keeps running and running. It's a huge waste of energy to keep operating your heat pump in this way, so contact a repair contractor ASAP.

It's making rattling or scraping noises.

There are a lot of moving parts and pieces inside a heat pump. It's not uncommon for one of them to come loose and start rattling a bit. Depending on the part, this may not immediately affect the heat pump's ability to heat and cool your air. However, continuing to operate a heat pump in this state can cause additional parts to come loose and break away. As such, you are better off having repairs made early, even if you're still getting adequate heat.

It keeps switching modes on its own.

Your heat pump should only switch from heating to cooling mode when you flip the switch. If it is swapping modes on its own, then something is wrong with either its internal computer or its temperature-gauging equipment. You don't want the AC to run in January or the heat to run in the dead of summer, so this is an issue you'll need to fix. Usually, the contractor will only need to replace a switch or indicator, which is a brief repair.

Keep in mind that if your heat pump is on the newer side, these and other repairs should be covered under warranty. Some warranties cover both parts and labor, and others just cover parts. Talk to your HVAC contractor to learn more about your specific warranty terms and the care that your heat pump needs.

Contact a professional to learn more about heat pump repair.