Heat Pump Repair

When a heat pump stops working, you’re not just losing heat or cooling — you’re losing both. It’s your only system. That’s what makes heat pump repair different from most HVAC calls, and it’s why who you call matters.

What You Might Be Experiencing

Heat pump problems show up in recognizable ways. If any of these sound like your situation, we know exactly what’s going on.

The system is running but not heating. This is the most common winter complaint. The unit is on, the blower is moving air, but the air coming through the vents is lukewarm or cold. This usually points to a refrigerant issue, a failing reversing valve, or a defrost problem — all of which require a tech who actually understands how heat pumps work, not just furnaces and ACs.

The system is running but not cooling. Same problem, opposite season. A heat pump that won’t cool in summer has similar root causes to a standard AC failure, but the diagnostic is different because of the reversing valve and refrigerant circuit that heat pumps use. A general HVAC tech can miss this.

The outdoor unit is iced over. Some frost on the outdoor unit in winter is normal — heat pumps run a defrost cycle to manage it. A unit that’s completely encased in ice means the defrost cycle has failed. The system will keep running and keep getting worse.

You’re burning through auxiliary or emergency heat. If your electric bills spiked and the system seems like it’s running constantly without keeping up, it’s likely leaning on the backup heat strips instead of the heat pump itself. That means something in the primary system isn’t doing its job.

Why Heat Pumps Need Specific Expertise

A heat pump runs twelve months a year — cooling in summer, heating in winter — which means it works harder than a furnace or AC ever does. It also has components those systems don’t: a reversing valve that switches the refrigerant flow between seasons, a defrost board that manages ice buildup, and auxiliary heat strips that kick in when temperatures drop low enough that the heat pump can’t keep up on its own. A lot of general HVAC companies aren’t fully comfortable diagnosing these components. We are. As Rheem and RUUD Pro Partners, our technicians are trained on heat pump systems specifically — not just the basics that overlap with standard HVAC, but the parts that don’t. When your heat pump isn’t heating or cooling properly, the diagnosis has to start in the right place. We work through the system the way it’s designed to work, not the way a furnace tech would approach it. We also handle the condensate drainage side of it. High-efficiency heat pumps produce condensate, and a clogged line is a plumbing problem as much as an HVAC one. Because we do both trades, it gets handled on the same visit.

When Your Heat Pump Is Your Only System

If you don’t have a backup furnace — which is common in homes that went with a heat pump as the primary system — a failure in January or July isn’t something you can wait on. There’s no fallback. We run 24/7 emergency coverage. When your heat pump goes down and you have nothing else, you can’t wait until Monday. We pick up.

Repair or Replace

Heat pump repairs can range from straightforward to expensive. A failing capacitor or a refrigerant charge is very different from a compressor or reversing valve replacement. When the repair cost starts approaching the cost of a new system — especially on a unit that’s ten or more years old — replacement sometimes makes more financial sense. We’ll give you an honest read on where your system stands. If repair is viable, we repair it. If it’s not, we say so and explain exactly why. We’re not going to recommend a new system to avoid a hard repair. If replacement is the answer, it’s worth knowing that heat pump installations qualify for significant PA energy rebates and federal tax credits right now. The net cost of a new system is often meaningfully lower than the sticker price. Our heat pump installation page covers what that looks like. We also offer $0 down financing for qualified customers. If you have a ductless mini-split system rather than a ducted heat pump, you may have landed on the wrong page — our ductless mini-split repair page covers that service specifically. The best way to avoid being in this situation is to have the system looked at before it fails. Our maintenance plans include heat pump service as part of the annual program.