In towns like Tacoma, heating repair companies handle heat pumps as often as they handle more traditional gas furnaces. Heat pumps essentially combine the functions of a heater and an air conditioner into one, resulting in a more efficient means of conditioning the air in your home. They work especially well in climates like ours, where the winters are fairly mild and homeowners have HVAC needs throughout the year. But just like any other appliance, heat pumps can experience problems, requiring the services of a trained professional to correct. Here’s a quick breakdown of common heat pump problems in Tacoma.
Heat pumps use the same basic technology as air conditioners, which means their problems are pretty much the same. One common development is a leak in refrigerant gas, which can interfere with the heat pump’s ability to generate cool (and warm) air. Refrigerant needs to be at a specific level if the heat pump is to work the way it should. When those levels are out of balance, frost forms on the evaporator coils, representing lost cooling potential and further hampering the pump’s ability to do its job. Simply scraping the frost off won’ fix the problem: the source of the leak needs to be sealed and refrigerant levels recharged before the system will function again.