Heat Pump Repair in Aberdeen, WA
If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Grays Harbor County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Your heat pump works nearly the whole year here
Aberdeen needs heat from September through June, ten months of the year. Winter nights average 34°F, mild enough that the heat pump can keep running instead of switching to backup heat, so it logs long hours across the fall, winter, and spring.
That much runtime wears on the parts that manage the switch between heating and defrost, like the reversing valve and defrost control. When one starts to fail, you notice the outdoor unit running long past when it should shut off, or ice building up on the coil that never seems to clear. With most homes here heating on electricity, a heat pump that is struggling shows up fast in how the house feels.
- 10 months
- September through June, your system heats
- 34°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 71°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
Washington requires contractors to register with the state.
That registration puts the business on file with L&I. There is no trade exam behind it, so the number on a truck door tells you the business is registered, not that anyone tested how it works on a heat pump.
For the actual repair, the credential that matters is federal. A heat pump runs on refrigerant, and anyone opening that side of the system has to hold EPA Section 608 certification, the same rule as every other state in the country. That certification is what says the person working on your system has been tested on handling refrigerant safely.
Source: Washington State Legislature
- Why is my heat pump blowing cold air?
- In heating mode, the air from your vents should feel warm, not cold. If it feels cold, the system may be stuck in a defrost cycle, running low on refrigerant, or the outdoor unit may have iced over and lost its ability to pull in heat. It can also mean the thermostat is set to fan only, which moves air without running the compressor. A contractor can check the refrigerant charge and the defrost cycle to find out which one it is.
- Why is there ice on my heat pump?
- A light coat of frost on the outdoor unit in cold weather is normal, and the system clears it on its own through a defrost cycle. Heavy ice that builds up and stays means the defrost cycle is not kicking in, or airflow across the outdoor coil is blocked by leaves, snow, or a fan that has stopped turning. It can also point to a refrigerant leak, since low refrigerant drops the coil temperature enough that ice forms faster than the unit can clear it. With winter nights here averaging 34°F, the outdoor unit spends months in conditions where ice can form, so a defrost problem will keep coming back until it is fixed. A contractor can test the defrost control and check refrigerant levels to find the cause.
- Why is my heat pump running but not cooling?
- If the unit is running but the air is not cooling, common causes are a dirty filter restricting airflow, a frozen indoor or outdoor coil, or refrigerant that has leaked out. A stuck reversing valve can also leave the system running in heating mode when it should be cooling. A contractor can check the refrigerant charge, airflow, and the reversing valve to find the specific cause for the house.