Heat Pump Repair in Pell City, AL
Homes here need heat from November through March and cooling from May through September. If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers St. Clair County will get in touch.
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Ten months of work a year wears on a heat pump
Your heat pump runs from November through March to keep the house warm, then switches over and runs May through September to keep it cool. That's ten months of the year with almost no rest in between. Winter nights average 34°F here, cold enough that the system leans on its reversing valve and defrost cycle night after night. Summer afternoons average 89°F, and that heat pushes the compressor hard through five straight months.
Most homes here heat with electricity, so when the heat pump falters, there's no backup furnace to carry the house. St. Clair County has seen 60 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and storms like that can knock out power or damage the outdoor unit. You'll notice it as a system that runs constantly without warming or cooling the house, ice building up on the outdoor coil, or the unit going quiet when the power comes back on but the thermostat says it should be running.
- 5 months
- November through March, your system heats
- 5 months
- May through September, it cools
- 34°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 89°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Alabama requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The Alabama Board of Heating, Air Conditioning & Refrigeration Contractors issues that license, and it covers the contractor rather than any single job. The same license that qualifies them for a new installation across town is what covers the heat pump repair at your house.
Because the repair means opening the refrigerant side of the unit, the technician also needs EPA Section 608 certification, a federal rule that applies no matter which state you're in. The state license is what stands behind the work itself, and the federal certification is what qualifies anyone to handle the refrigerant inside that heat pump.
Source: Alabama Board of Heating, Air Conditioning and Refrigeration Contractors
- Why is my heat pump blowing cold air?
- In heating mode, a heat pump moves heat from the outside air into your home, so the air coming out of the vents is naturally cooler than a furnace flame would give you. If it feels colder than usual, check that the outdoor unit is not caked in ice or blocked by leaves and debris, since that stops it from pulling in heat at all. It could also be stuck in defrost mode too long, or low on refrigerant. If the air feels cold rather than just mild, have a contractor check the refrigerant charge and the reversing valve.
- Why is there ice on my heat pump?
- A heat pump forms a light, even coat of frost during normal defrost cycles in cold weather, and that clears on its own within an hour or so. Thick ice that builds up and stays means something is wrong, usually a dirty coil, a failed defrost control, or low refrigerant. With winter nights here averaging 34°F, your unit is cycling through defrost often, so any ice that does not melt back off within a cycle needs a contractor to look at it.
- Why is my heat pump running but not cooling?
- If the outdoor unit is running but the air inside is not cooling, start with the filter. A clogged filter chokes off airflow and can freeze the indoor coil, which stops cooling until the ice melts. If the filter is clean, the problem is more likely low refrigerant from a leak or a failing compressor, and neither of those you can fix yourself. With afternoons here reaching 89°F in summer, a system that is not cooling needs attention quickly, so have a contractor check the refrigerant charge and the compressor.