Heat pumps offer a great two-in-one comfort system for homes. During the summer, a heat pump works as an air conditioner capable of matching any comparably sized standalone cooling system. Then, when winter weather arrives, a heat pump easily shifts into heating mode, working efficiently and safely compared to many other types of heating systems.
If you are interested in installing a heat pump for your home, or if you need heat pump repair in Groton, MA or other parts of MetroWest, call Basnett Plumbing & Heating right away. We have offered excellent services for heating and air conditioning systems since 1987.
Because heat pumps operate differently than other models of heaters when they are warming a house, homeowners often find themselves a bit confused about what’s happening with their heat pump the first time it begins to work during cold weather. For example, people often call for heating repair technicians in the winter when they notice that the outdoor unit of the system is still running. Usually, this doesn’t indicate a problem; it is a normal part of how a heat pump works.
The reason that homeowners sometimes worry about the outdoor unit of a heat pump running during winter is that they are used to air conditioning systems. During the summer, the outdoor unit of an AC must run in order to deposit heat to the outside. After cold weather starts, the air conditioner shuts off for the season. When a heat pump continues to generate noise from its outdoor cabinet after the winter starts, people often think that something must be wrong.
However, this is standard operation for a heat pump. Like air conditioners, they absorb heat from one place and remove it to another. But air conditioners can only remove heat from the indoors and place it in the outdoors; a heat pump can move it in both directions. When a heat pump switches over to heating mode, it absorbs heat from the outdoor unit and moves it to the indoor unit. The sounds coming from the outside cabinet are therefore normal and are not a cause for alarm.
You still need to watch for indications that the outdoor unit is experiencing problems. If you hear unusual noises from the cabinet, such as loud clanging or grinding, you should call for repairs right away. If the outdoor unit is running, but you are not receiving heat indoors, then you should also have technicians investigate right away to see if the unit is losing refrigerant or has experienced some other malfunction that is keeping it from carrying out heat exchange.
Basnett Plumbing & Heating has worked on heat pump repair in Groton, MA for almost three decades. Never hesitate to call us if you think your heat pump is in danger of failing or if you are suspicious of strange sounds from either cabinet. It is better to be cautious than to end up trapped with a cold house.
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Tags: Groton, Heat Pumps
Posted in Heat Pumps | Comments Off on Why Does the Outdoor Unit of My Heat Pump Run in the Winter?
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