The Obstinate Heat Pump: Why It Just Won’t Heat the House
Rodger Brown • November 21, 2023
A family is sitting on the floor in a living room.

If you have a heat pump, you probably chose it because it is highly efficient and offers both heating and cooling all in one. But the colder the temperatures get outside, the more that your heat pump may struggle to keep your home warm. 

If you’re not comfortable with the indoor air temperatures with your heat pump turned on and set to “heat,” it may be time to invest in heat pump repair in Clackamas, OR. You can keep reading to learn more about how a heat pump works to heat your home, and why it may not be up to your standards during the wintertime.

How a Heat Pump Heats Your Home

A heat pump is most comparable to a central air conditioner. It has refrigerant lines that cycle refrigerant in one direction to provide cooling for your home. The difference is that a reversing valve allows the refrigerant to move in the opposite direction and also bring heat into your home instead of removing it.

Essentially, heat pumps work by transferring energy into or out of your home as a method of heating and cooling. Heat pumps are considered highly efficient heaters compared to other heating options where heat is created using burners or igniters. Much less energy is required and the process is also safer. 

Potential Shortcomings

The one downfall to having a heat pump is that the colder temperatures get outside, the less heat there is in the air to transfer it to your home. Even when it’s very cold outside, there’s some heat in the air that a heat pump can absorb and bring into your home. But as temperatures drop lower and lower, a heat pump may struggle to keep your home as warm as you would like.

Scheduling Heat Pump Service

If you think that your heat pump is struggling to keep up with your heating needs, your first step should be to schedule a maintenance appointment with our team of professionals. We can tune up your heat pump and check to make sure everything is working as it should. If there are any issues that might be contributing to a lack of heat, we will talk to you about them and get the issues fixed.

Additional Solutions

If your heat pump is working great without any issues, but still cannot keep up with heating your home, you do have another option. You don’t have to overhaul your entire heat pump system and replace it with something new. Instead, we can add on a small furnace that is designed to turn on and help your heat pump on those days of winter that are the coldest. 

It basically helps to make up the difference and keep your home warm when your heat pump can’t quite stand up to the outside temperatures and weather. This is the best of both worlds. You enjoy the overall efficiency of a heat pump while also having a back up for when you need it. 

Please call Sydni, our Office Extraordinaire, to schedule your next appointment ! We will take care of you from there!

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