When you live in a climate as cold as ours gets in the wintertime, your heating system goes through a lot of stress. Make that double if you have a heat pump, which is already strained from keeping you cool all summer.
You are very likely using yours daily to keep your home warm this time of the year, and the more stress that your heat pump is under, the more likely it is that it will develop problems. You can reduce the risk of emergency issues occurring by knowing the signs of a heat pump that needs professional Emerson, NJ heating repairs, though. One of the biggest signs that something is amiss is hearing strange or unfamiliar noises coming from the heat pump.
Here are a few examples of what those sounds might be, and what they might mean:
Grinding
Are you familiar with the air handler of your heat pump? This is the component that actually circulates air throughout your home while the system is operating. It’s a powerful motor that rotates a large fan to blow air through your ductwork. The air handler motor generates a lot of friction, so it has oiled bearings inside of it to help things run better.
Eventually, though, these bearings start to wear down, and the friction on the air handler increases. If you hear a loud grinding noise coming from your heat pump, it indicates that the bearings in the air handler motor probably need replacing. If they aren’t replaced in time, the motor will overheat and burn out.
Bubbling
Are you hearing a noise that somewhat resembles something being on a low boil? This is an indication of air bubbles in your refrigerant line. This often means that there is a leak in the line somewhere, which is bad news for your entire heat pump.
There’s a common misconception that refrigerant is something that dissipates anyway, and has to be refilled—recharged—on a regular basis, but this just isn’t the case. If you’re losing refrigerant, the system has a leak, and that leak will slowly cripple the heat pump system, damaging its output capacity as the refrigerant level in the system drops. Eventually, that level will drop so low that your heat pump won’t be able to operate at all. If you hear bubbling, or if you see fluid dripping from the system, it’s time to give our team a call.
Short-Cycling
This is probably one of the worst noises you can hear, for your heat pump. It’s the sound of the system cycling on and off every couple of minutes instead of in longer cycles. It can actually destroy your heat pump system if you don’t act quickly to stop it. Short-cycling is most often caused by electrical problems in the system, which throws off its operating rhythm. This cuts down on the heat pump’s capacity to cool, since it can’t complete a full cycle.
Short-cycling causes the various components of your heat pump to wear down at an accelerated rate, making the system much more prone to repair issues. If the problem goes unchecked for long enough, it can actually cut the lifespan of the system short by several years. Make sure you call for repairs as soon as you notice short-cycling, or you could find yourself replacing the system years before you thought you’d have to.