Heat pumps are in constant operation and need to be maintained. This help to ensure that your system is working to the best of its abilities and operating safely. It’s similar to vehicle maintenance, the better you maintain it, the better it operates long term. A heat pump runs in both the heating AND cooling mode.

During spring maintenance, the cooling side should be checked. During fall maintenance, the heating side should be checked. During these visits, the technician will hook up special gauges which show him readings. These readings are suppose to be within certain parameters, kind of like the pressure in a car tire. If those readings are off, it signals the technician to look further into the system for potential issues. He may find that the system is low on refrigerant which would mean you have a leak. He can then detect and repair the leak before it becomes a larger issues later in the seasons when it’s incredibly hot. Back up heat must be checked during this visit as well. Backup heat turns on after it has become cold enough to freeze the outdoor unit. The outdoor unit switches modes and defrosts the system. While this happens, your emergency heat will kick on to maintain the temperature your thermostat is calling for.

The key to a well maintained system is making sure to change out the filters every month. The least resistance the air flow has, the better the system can run. Next is making sure you have your system well maintained by a professional once every 6 months. If you’d like to learn more about these services, call 770-672-6963.