Heat pump service is an important part of maintaining your heating and cooling needs around the house. Many people these days do not know about heat pumps which is surprising as they are an efficient source of heat and costs you much less. Heat pumps are an excellent alternative to fuel, oil, and electricity as their productivity can increase up to 300%.

This article discusses how a heat pump works and the necessary steps to take for proper maintenance and heat pump service.

How Do Heat Pumps Work?

Heat pumps serve as both heating and cooling systems. They work by the movement of heat from one place to the other. Much like how a refrigerator and air conditioner works but instead of cooling, they aim to remove the heat from the premises.

A heat pump consists of mainly two units that help it achieve the cooling needs that you require. One is the indoor unit also called the air handler that absorbs air and sends it towards the outdoor unit. A compressed refrigerant is constantly on and absorbs and releases the heat from your room to the indoor and outdoor units. Think of it as a refrigerator for your whole room.

The heat pump is the perfect hybrid between the air conditioner and the refrigerator and brings you cooling at a much lower cost as compared to them. The air conditioner and the refrigerators basically are also heat pumps which only operate in the cooling mode while heat pumps work both ways and can provide whatever temperature of air you are required, be it winters or summers.

To keep it running smoothly and at its full capacity, maintenance and heat pump service is equally important.

Advantages Of Heat Pumps

• Lower running cost as compared to gas or oil boilers
• Heat pumps are safe to use as compared to heating systems that use combustion
• Provides both cooling and heating effects
• Long life span and a reliable source of heat
• Efficient energy conversion rate and reduced carbon emission as compared to air conditioners
• Less maintenance cost as compared to combustion heating systems.

Heat Pump Service And Maintenance

The main reason that there is much stress put on heat pump service is because it saves you a lot of energy if they are properly maintained.

Heat pump service and precautions are discussed in the following points:

Do Not Turn On The Backup Heating

Heating pumps usually have backup heating units, but it is not advised for users to keep thermostats settings to such that it allows the pump to use its backup heat too. The heat pump system is designed to run and turn off as the temperature in the room requires but constant running of the indoor unit fan might damage it and ruin your chances of long term running. Operate the system on the auto setting for optimal usage and no problems in the long run.

In case of the heat pump using the backup heat automatically, be sure to contact heat pump service providers to have a look at it as it could be the problem within the thermostat.

Keep It Clean

A very important part of heat pump service is to keep it clean to have it running smoothly. Both the indoor and the outdoor unit require monthly inspection and cleaning. For the indoor unit, mostly the filter is required to be cleaned or in some cases replaced. A blocked filter does not allow the proper flow of air through the pump and can be damaging to the systems compressor. Besides that, it cannot perform to the fullest if the intake of air is blocked.

The unit outdoor can tend to accumulate a lot of vegetation and dust. It is important to inspect the outdoor unit for any sort of leaves, grass or twigs that is stuck in it so that the air flow and functioning of the compressor and fans can continue without any problems. Try to install a cage over the outdoor unit to keep small animals and birds from getting inside it. Use mothballs to keep insects away from it as they can become a problem in the rotation of the fans.

Ask Professionals

There should be annual inspection of the pump by heat pump service providers to ensure that you have not missed out on anything that may cause a problem in the upcoming year.

Here is a list of things that the heat pump service providers must go over to completely have a satisfactory check up of the system:

• Fully inspect the ducts, the filter, the coils of the indoor unit and the blower in case they may have accumulated dust or any other obstruction that can cause a problem in operating.
• Measure the airflow and confirm if the heat pump is running at full capacity.
• Check the refrigerant and replace if needed to be
• Make sure that there are no refrigerant leaks in the compressor and the coils
• Inspect the ducts thoroughly to make sure there are no leaks as this can cause less efficiency and more running cost.
• Check all the moving parts such as the fan, belts, the motor and inform you if it needs to be replaced in case of weakness or damage.
• Lubricate moving parts for much smoother running
• The heating and cooling functions should be functioning properly. The heat pump should block out the heat in case the house requires cooling and vice-versa
• Check thermostat and see if it is properly functioning by tripping when needed and starting back up again in case of irregularity in temperature.

Heat pumps are very effective and easy to run, they will cost you less and provide with much more heat as compared to a combustion heating system and are considerably advantageous as compared to an electrical heating system. Make sure you take proper care of your heat pump and you will be living your life happy and content.