Energy Efficient Electrical Designs for New Homes

3 Heat Pump Failure Symptoms and How You Can Deal with Them

19 July 2016

Kimberly Garrett

Proper maintenance is important to keep your heat pump working properly for as long as possible. However, even with the right maintenance schedule, your pump may start showing different symptoms and even fail, particularly with prolonged use. Below are some common failure symptoms, and how you should deal with them if they happen.

Pump freezing up

When it's very cold, your external pump can form ice around it, but it has a defrosting mechanism which occasionally clears the ice. If you notice ice coming towards the condenser, you should turn off the pump. Look at the return-air vents and filters to ensure they haven't been blocked. Check the timer on the defrosting control and set it to a shorter time – especially as winter temperatures decline further.

Pump tripping circuit-breaker

Heat pumps are equipped with secondary heating elements which facilitate heating when it's very cold or your pump's efficiency declines severely. These elements are turned on once temperatures reach a certain level. The result is that the pump uses up significantly more energy, and this can cause the circuit-breaker to trip like it would for a power surge. To fix it, simply find the circuit-breaker and reset it. If it keeps happening, you may have a bigger problem such as loose connections in the AC, and you should call in an electrical technician as soon as possible.

Pump blower won't work

This is usually because of a limit switch which shuts down the pump when the air around the plenum becomes very hot. Start by confirming that the fan switch on the thermostat is turned on. If it's at Auto or off, this limit switch may need to be adjusted, something that should be done professionally. If you're handy with this stuff, consult your manual to see how to reset the pointers according to your region's climate. Do not handle electrical repairs if you're inexperienced, and ensure that you turn off all power supply before attempting to make adjustments.

Finally, check whether or not the motor is running; if running, the belt connecting the blower and motor could be broken and should be replaced. Remove the front door of the air-handler cabinet and check the belt number so that you can get the exact replacement (the pump should be off).

Slip the new belt on the smaller pulley of the motor and manually rotate the blower slowly while holding the belt in place. Be careful to avoid getting your fingers caught in the pulley-belt system.

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