High Performance HVAC - Heat Pump Troubleshooting

HVAC Troubleshooting the Heat Pump

Troubleshooting Heat Pumps

It is amazing to me, Richard, the webmaster of High Performance HVAC and experienced licensed HVAC Master with years of experience in the field performing service and repairs on all kinds of HVAC equipment to read some of the articles written by others who have never touched an HVAC unit of any type tell people how to troubleshoot HVAC equipment. By reading these articles I can tell right away the author of this article wrote this article from a book or from reading other articles on the web. Of course the internet is a huge web of all kinds of information and it is up to you to sift through and get fact from fiction. In some of my side bars on the left I offer basic troubleshooting tips when you have a problem with your air conditioner or heat pump. The list on the side bar goes like this word for word:

Before calling a heating and air conditioning company, check the following:

• Check selections on thermostat. Ensure that it is set to the desired settings.
• Check power supply. This can include a circuit breaker and or/a regular looking wall switch close to the unit
• Check for freezing up of air conditioner or heat pump units. If the air conditioner or heat pump unit is frozen turn it off. Check the filter(s) and supply vents to make sure they are not obstructed in any way. If you find no problems leave the unit turned off and call a service company.

Additional Helpful Hints for Troubleshooting Heat Pumps:

• Always change your filter on a monthly basis
• Make sure all your supply vents are open and unobstructed
• Keep area clean around indoor unit especially the return grills
• Keep outdoor condensing units free of leaves, grass, and debris including trash cans and/or children's toys or playthings like small plastic pools or playhouses. Additionally your service technician will appreciate you not planting holly bushes near the outside unit
• Have air conditioner, heat pump, or furnace system serviced every six months

When you have a problem with your heat pump and need to troubleshoot the problem you want to check the basics. Anything beyond that you really need to call in a professional to troubleshoot the heat pump or any type of electrical mechanical equipment you have problems with and need to troubleshoot. Whether you call for heat pump troubleshooting or you call for air conditioner troubleshooting or you call for refrigerator troubleshooting there is only so much you can do.

Troubleshooting Heat Pumps: Bad Article

I read this directly from an un-named article on the internet that has a number one position in a search for troubleshooting heat pumps – “check the heat pumps ignition”. What? Can you say that one more time? It is obvious to me the person who wrote that article has never touched a heat pump in there life and should have never written an article for troubleshooting heat pumps. Can someone please tell me where the igniter is for a heat pump?  I’ve was out of the field for a year doing management work and now I am doing engineering work and occasionally going out to the field but I do not think the basic concept of heat pumps has changed that much to include adding ignition systems to heat pumps. If you are going to troubleshoot your own heat pump or troubleshoot your own air conditioner then please follow the basics above. Beyond that please call a professional to troubleshoot your heat pump or troubleshoot your air conditioner.

Some other faulty advice in this bad heat pump troubleshooting article is:

• "Most of the time when your heat pump doesn’t work it is a faulty thermostat". I’ve been on many service calls and I have found faulty thermostats. Most of the time the reason for a faulty thermostat is because the homeowner thought the thermostat was bad and the decided to change it. For Changing parts, especially the thermostat, simply doesn't not work most of the time. whatever reason the homeowner didn’t wire it properly or they didn’t turn the power off and crossed the wrong wires and burned up the heating anticipator or blew the transformer. Unless you have had a lightening strike, major power surge that took out other electronic devices in your home, or someone took a hammer to the thermostat then your problem is probably not the thermostat. If you have problems with your heat pump or air conditioner and want to troubleshoot the problem yourself simply check the settings of the thermostat. Make sure it is set to the appropriate setting. Double check to make sure it is set to the appropriate setting. If everything is correct then you are done at the thermostat. Don’t run down to your local hardware store and buy a new thermostat for your heat pump thinking it will solve the problem. Chances are, if you doing it as a part of the process of troubleshooting your heat pump then you will probably still be cold after changing the thermostat in the process of troubleshooting a heat pump. You can change every single part in the heat pump system and still have a problem with the heat pump. Changing parts, especially the thermostat, simply doesn't not work most of the time.
• "The motor may need to be reset" is another thing that struck me from reading this article for troubleshooting heat pumps – Reset the motor? I have not seen many blower motors that have a reset button on them. There are very few out there that have reset buttons on the blower motor but chances are you do not have the type of motor that has a reset button on it. It seems to me the person who wrote this article read an article on oil furnaces or boilers and tried to adapt it to troubleshooting heat pumps. Oil burners have reset buttons on them but not on the blower – the reset button is on the burner as a part of the burner ignition controls.
• "Heat Pump trips the circuit breaker" – they tell you to check the heat pump circuit breaker in this bad heat pump troubleshooting article. Which heat pump breaker do I check? A real heat pump has two circuit breakers in the circuit breaker panel for the home and if the heat pump has electric back up heat then it should have another set of breakers or fuse protection at the location where the heat strips are which is usually in the air handler. Yes, a real heat pump (not the fictional dream heat pump they describe in this heat pump toubleshooting article) has two circuit breakers – one for the heat pump condenser and one for the air handler.
• "Air Handler Squeals" – they tell you that it is usually the belt. Huh? In the residential market HVAC manufacturers went to direct drive blowers many, many moons ago and stopped distributing units that are belt driven. 99.9% of heat pump air handlers out there installed in homes are direct drive. Finding a belt driven blower in residential systems is akin to to finding a Model T. If you are using a heat pump this old then it is probably time to replace the system and not the belt.

Troubleshooting Heat Pumps: Conclusion

Okay, I’m done commenting on that bad article for troubleshooting heat pumps. Some of the information in that article is okay although general knowledge. If troubleshooting heat pumps is your profession please go ahead and fix it if you have a problem with your heat pump. Chances are you are not a professional HVAC technician so please check the basics and then leave it up to the professional HVAC Technician to troubleshoot the heat pump.

Additional Related Links

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