Heat Pump Repair in Memphis, TN
Homes here need heat from November through March and cooling from May through September. If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Shelby County will get in touch.
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Ten months of work a year in Shelby County
Your heat pump runs almost year round here, heat from November through March, cooling from May through September. That leaves it about two months of rest. Winter nights averaging 34°F mean it runs the defrost cycle again and again to keep the outdoor coil clear, and summer afternoons near 90°F push the compressor hard through long stretches every day.
That much run time wears on the parts that start the system and keep it running. A compressor that short cycles or won't start, a defrost board that stops switching, a capacitor that gives out, these show up as a system that blows warm air, won't come on, or trips off on its own. Shelby County has also seen 195 damaging wind events and 15 winter storms over the past ten years, and power that cuts out and comes back can leave a heat pump stuck or unresponsive until someone resets it.
- 5 months
- November through March, your system heats
- 5 months
- May through September, it cools
- 34°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 90°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
- Why is my heat pump blowing cold air?
- In winter this usually means the unit is stuck in defrost mode or the reversing valve has failed. A heat pump in defrost runs its outdoor fan off and pushes cooler air inside for a few minutes while it clears frost off the outdoor coil, and that is normal. If the air stays cold well past that, the reversing valve may be stuck in cooling position, or the system could be low on refrigerant. A contractor can test the reversing valve and check refrigerant levels to find which it is.
- Why is there ice on my heat pump?
- A little frost on the outdoor coil in winter is normal and should clear during the unit's regular defrost cycles. Ice that builds up thick or stays through several defrost cycles points to low refrigerant, a dirty coil, or a failing defrost control. Airflow problems from a dirty outdoor coil or a blocked filter can also cause this, since the coil needs to breathe to shed frost properly. With winter lows here averaging 34°F, coils run cold enough that any defrost fault shows up fast, so this is worth having checked before a hard freeze hits.
- Why is my heat pump running but not cooling?
- The compressor may be running while the system moves little or no heat, which usually comes down to refrigerant, airflow, or the reversing valve. Low refrigerant means the coil cannot pull enough heat out of the air passing over it. A dirty filter or blocked outdoor unit starves the system of airflow on one side or the other. The reversing valve can also fail in a way that leaves the unit running but not actually switching into cooling mode. A contractor will need to check pressures and airflow to know which one it is.