Why Your Heat Pump May Be Stuck in Cooling Mode

Why Your Heat Pump May Be Stuck in Cooling Mode

Heat pumps are an ideal comfort system for the climate of Southern California, since they combine a powerful air conditioning system with an energy-efficient heating system that can always overcome our mild winters.

Well… perhaps not always. A heat pump can malfunction and lose one or both of its modes. If you have turned your heat pump over to heating mode to deal with the arrival of cooler weather in Southern California, but you aren’t receiving warmth from it, than there is something wrong that will probably require a professional to fix. Check to see first if the thermostat is correctly set, and if it is, call on heat pump repair experts to look into what is wrong. Below are the two most common possibilities:

Broken reversing valve

The mostly likely cause for a heat pump to become stuck in one mode or another is a malfunction in the reversing valve. This valve is essential for a heat pump to be able to work as both a heater and air conditioner. But if the valve becomes stuck, the refrigerant in the heat pump will only be able to circulate through the unit one way, freezing the system in one mode. In most cases, technicians will need to remove and replace the reversing valve.

Thermostat malfunction

The thermostat may appear to be set correctly, but that doesn’t mean the thermostat is actually communicating with the heat pump. If the thermostat wiring has failed, the connection that activates the reversing valve might not be working, in which case you cannot send instructions to the heat pump to switch from one to another.

There are other reasons for heat pumps to malfunction, but it’s vital that you do not attempt to fix them on your own. A skilled technician can have your heat pump restored to full condition in a short time.

Russell’s Heating & Air Conditioning offers services for heat pumps in Loma Linda, CA and throughout the Inland Empire and Desert Communities.