Heat Pumps by Treat’s Heating & Cooling
If you are a homeowner with a newly installed Heat Pump you may notice on a cold day that the outdoor part of the unit is frozen over. Although this is perfectly normal, there are some instances in which a frozen Heat Pump could indicate there is a problem with your unit.
Heat Pumps use refrigerant to absorb heat from the air outside even when it’s cold out. As heat from the air outside is transferred to that refrigerant, some excess moisture from the air builds up on the unit’s coils. On cold days that moisture can freeze into layers on your Heat Pump making it difficult for your unit to perform properly.
Your unit is designed to handle the build-up of ice that we described above. Your Heat pump has a defrost cycle that will kick on when it detects excessive ice buildup. While in defrost mode, your heat pump essentially operates in the cooling mode and allows heat and allows heat from the refrigerant to melt the ice away. As this is happening, a back-up heat cycle (emergency heat) keeps your home warm until your Heat Pump is ready to operate in its normal mode again. If your Heat Pump is still frozen after a few hours, call Treat’s Heating & Cooling for service.
One of the primary reasons why your Heat Pump might freeze over when it shouldn’t is lack of proper airflow. In order to prevent this from happening, check your filter and change it as needed, remove any ice build-up on the top of the outdoor unit and clear away any snow or debris that has built up around your outdoor unit.
Call Treat’s Heating & Cooling at 360.825.0800 for service if your Heat Pump or any other equipment is not operating properly. We are a local family owned business that has been in business for over 40 years.
The Maple Valley, WA Heat Pump experts at Treat’s Heating & Cooling offer high quality installation, repair, maintenance, and other heating and air conditioning services throughout Western Washington including Enumclaw, Buckley, Bonney Lake, Sumner, Puyallup, Tacoma, Auburn, Black Diamond, Covington, Maple Valley, Federal Way, Kent, & Seattle WA.