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Heat Pump Repairs: How to Troubleshoot Your Heat Pump Problems
from:Heat pump problems are enough to strike fear into the heart of any home owner. Not only are heat pump repairs inconvenient and annoying, but they can be extremely expensive. But there is some good news. Not every heat pump repair requires calling in a professional. There are some heat pump fixes you can do yourself without incurring the cost of calling out a repair person. Here is what you need to know about some heat pump troubleshooting, so you don’t end up paying money you don’t have to spend.
First, consider a common heat pump problem – the heat pump is not giving out any heat. The first thing you want to check is that your thermostat is set to “heat”. It is a fairly obvious fix, but you’d be surprised how many people that gets. Likewise, you’ll want to check the other obvious fixes, like making sure the circuit that supplies power to the heat pump has not blown and making sure that the power on the pump itself is switched on. If you discover that the power to the pump has been switched off, you will need to let it run for a few minutes to fully power up.
If those fixes do not work, you may need to start the motor over. Your heat pump has a “reset” button – press that button and it will “reboot” the motor. If the first reset doesn’t change anything, turn it off for 30 minutes and then turn it on again.
If none of these fixes work, you may have to call in professional help.
Other people deal with problems with their heat pumps in which the heat pump is pumping out heat but it is not enough heat to keep the home comfortable. The first thing you need to check it the temperature on your thermostat. Make sure it is set at the temperature you want it to be set at. It may simply be that you need to turn it up a little for your comfort. If it is set at a level that has been comfortable in the past, make sure all of your heat registers are open. It is easy for these to be shut accidentally when people bump them or when they get knocked with a vacuum. Next, check the heat filter and make sure it is not blocked or dirty. If so, cleaning it may help. If none of these fixes do the trick, you’ll need to call out a repair service to balance your system.
If you cannot achieve a constant, comfortable temperature, you may need to adjust the internal heat pump settings. These are different from system to system – check your manual for advice.
Calling out a repair service is sometimes unavoidable. However, you can save yourself time and money by troubleshooting your own repair problems before making the call.
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