We know you don’t want to think about snow, especially with our continued mild weather. But it is coming, and if you own a heat pump system, you need to be vigilant about removing snow from your heat pump’s outdoor unit. Otherwise, you could see your system experience malfunction and you may find that your heat isn’t working as well as it should. To understand why, it’s important to review how a heat pump heats your home.
The Outdoor Unit
An air-source heat pump has an outdoor unit very similar to that of a traditional air conditioning system, except that one of the components in the outdoor unit is the heat pump technology. The other two main components are the compressor and the condenser.
Heat pumps provide heat to your home by absorbing the available heat in the outdoor air. While it may seem that cold temperatures don’t contain heat, they do, and your heat pump absorbs this heat with the help of the refrigerant in the system. The absorbed heat is transferred to the heat pump where it is concentrated and then dispersed to your home via ductwork or ductless indoor blowers.
For your heat pump to absorb the available heat in the air, it has to have access to the air. This is why it is critical that the cabinet of your heat pump’s outdoor unit be cleared of any debris, especially snow cover. If it has snowed, you want to clear off the tops and sides of the outdoor cabinet as soon as possible, as well as the ground surrounding the cabinet’s base. Any ice should be removed as well, but do so carefully: chipping hard at ice may cause damage to the cabinet or some of the components inside the cabinet.
If you need help removing tough snow or ice from the outdoor cabinet of your heat pump system this winter, call the experts at DB Heating & Cooling, Inc., and we’ll come to your home in Ramsey, NJ right away.