Heat Pump Maintenance and Repair: When to Call a Professional
As with any appliance in your home, a heat pump requires regular maintenance, some of which you can easily do yourself. However, there are a number of repair and even maintenance items that require a professional, such as the technicians at HVACs Today.
Your residential heat pump works by extracting warm air from one location and moving it to another. During the warm months, a heat pump pulls the hot air from your home and pushes it outside. During the winter, it draws any heat from the outdoors and pulls it inside your home, until your desired temperature is reached. Heat pumps are some of the most energy efficient and environmentally friendly HVAC systems on the market, but like any system in your home, they require maintenance and occasional repairs.
What Basic Maintenance Can You Perform Yourself?
Most homeowners can perform basic maintenance on a heat pump, such as:
Checking filters monthly and changing as needed
Setting the thermostat appropriately
Removing obstructions that may have collected around a heat pump
Any other heat pump maintenance and repair is best left to a professional.
What Regular Maintenance Should a Professional Perform on a Heat Pump?
It's best to schedule a professional for some maintenance tasks, including:
Annual preventative maintenance—this includes flushing the condensate drain to remove any debris and checking refrigerant levels in your heat pump. Appropriate annual maintenance can reduce the need for repairs in the future.
Cleaning the heat coils—this requires disconnecting the heat pump from its power source which is best done by a professional.
Lubrication—your residential heat pump is made up of a variety of moving parts that need to be lubricated. Because it is a complex system, only a professional will know what parts need lubrication and how much they might need.
What Are Some Indicators That A Professional Should Be Called for Repairs?
There are a number of common indicators that you should call a professional to repair your heat pump. The most obvious is a failure of the system to heat or cool, but a number of other problems may crop up, including:
Malfunctioning of the outdoor fan
Low levels of refrigerant
A failure of the system to defrost
Refrigerant leaks
Dirty coils
Inordinately noisy operation
If you observe any of these, it's a good idea to call a professional at HVAC's Today immediately.
Although very basic heat pump maintenance may safely be performed by the homeowner, most maintenance and all heat pump repairs are best left to a HVAC professional.
