Heat Pump Repair in Chattanooga, TN
Homes here need heat from October through April and cooling from May through September. If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Hamilton County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
A heat pump here works all year, with no season off
Your heat pump runs every month in Hamilton County, warming the house from October through April and cooling it from May through September. There's no stretch where it just sits idle. On winter nights averaging 32°F, it has to pull heat out of cold outside air, and on summer afternoons averaging 87°F, it's fighting heat load from the other direction. That kind of year-round cycling wears on the compressor and the reversing valve, the part that switches the system between heating and cooling.
Most homes here heat with electricity, so when the heat pump falters, there's often no backup keeping the house warm. Add in the wind and winter storms this area sees most years, and the outdoor unit takes on real risk too, from debris hitting the coil to power blinking on and off. A heat pump that won't switch modes, runs constantly, or blows air that isn't hot enough or cold enough is telling you something wore out.
- 7 months
- October through April, your system heats
- 5 months
- May through September, it cools
- 32°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 87°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
- Why is my heat pump blowing cold air?
- In winter, your heat pump moves heat from outside air into your home, so the air out of the vents is warmer than the outside air but still cooler than your skin. That can feel cold even when nothing is wrong. If the house is not warming up and the air feels truly cold, the cause could be low refrigerant, a failed reversing valve, or the outdoor unit struggling to draw heat from the air. A contractor can check refrigerant levels and test the reversing valve to find out which it is.
- Why is there ice on my heat pump?
- Some frost on the outdoor coil in winter is normal, and your heat pump should clear it on its own through a defrost cycle. If ice is building up heavily or staying on the coil, something is stopping that cycle, often a failed defrost control board, a stuck reversing valve, or a fan motor that has quit. Ice can also mean low refrigerant or airflow blocked by a dirty coil. If the coil stays iced over for hours instead of clearing on its own, a contractor needs to look at it.
- Why is my heat pump running but not cooling?
- If the outdoor unit is running but the house is not cooling down, the most common causes are low refrigerant, a dirty outdoor coil that cannot release heat, or a failing compressor. A system low on refrigerant will run for hours during summer afternoons here without ever catching up to the thermostat setting. Check that the outdoor coil is not clogged with grass clippings or debris, since blocked airflow there stops the unit from cooling even when everything else is working. If the coil is clean and the house still is not cooling, a contractor will need to check refrigerant charge and the compressor itself.