Heat Pumps FAQs

Should I repair or replace old equipment? Three main factors to consider are: * Life expectancy * Operating cost * Looking at the big picture h2. Life Expectancy of Current System When you’re frustrated with an equipment break-down, it can be tempting to find the least expensive "quick fix" to get on with your life in relative comfort. That "quick fix" may be the least expensive now, but it may not give you the most value — or cost you the least — in the long run. Paying for repairs to an old or inefficient system often simply prolongs the inevitable. It’s almost like putting a bandage on a serious injury. An older system that breaks down once is likely to break down again ... and again. That means more emergency service calls or, worse yet, the risk of damage to your home or to other components of your heating and cooling system. h2. Operating Cost There’s also an ongoing cost factor to consider. Restoring your old system will only bring it back to its current level of energy efficiency. After you’ve recovered from the repair bills and the frustration of system breakdowns, you still won’t save on your energy bills. Even six-year-old heat pumps and air conditioners are considered grossly inefficient by today’s energy efficiency standards. So are most furnaces built before 1980. So you could save up to 60% on your energy bills with new high-efficiency equipment. That’s why installing a new heating and cooling system can actually pay for itself in energy savings within a relatively short time. h2. Looking at the Big Picture. When one component of your system breaks down unexpectedly, it’s easy to just focus on repairing or replacing that component. But each part of your system works with the others to boost efficiency and reliability, so it helps to keep the big picture in mind. Replacing your old furnace with a new higher-efficiency model but leaving your old mechanical thermostat in place, for example, won’t allow you to enjoy all the efficiency advantages the furnace has to offer. Likewise, if you install a new furnace but don’t get a humidifier, the air may seem cooler, forcing you to operate your new system at a higher temperature to be comfortable. Plus, you can often save on installation costs if you have several components of your system (for example, a furnace and an air conditioner) replaced at the same time. h2. Should I switch to Emergency Heat when it gets below a certain degree outside? No. A heat pump can still provide heat down to negative 10 degrees. The heat pump and the electric back-up heat can work together if necessary. h2. When should I change the air filter in my system? Check it at least every month during peak use, and replace it when it looks dirty enough to restrict the air flow through it. Some filters, are washable; others are disposable and must be replaced. Some thermostats have a clean filter reminder built in. Call our service department if you could benefit from this feature and would like to upgrade to a digital thermostat. h2. Heat pump never quite reaches temperature In Heating, if you set your thermostat for 72 degrees in the winter and your house only seems to get up to 70 degrees. Sometimes this is caused by a genuine problem but, in extremely cold weather even a properly working heat pump may have trouble maintaining desired temperature. When it gets below a certain temperature, a heat pump cannot keep up with the demand for heat. When the temperature in the house drops approximately 2 degrees below room temperature, your back-up heat comes on to help the heat pump. When it gets to within 1 degree of room temperature, the back-up heat turns off and the heat pump continues running tying to reach temperature but cannot. This usually happens when the temperature is at it's coldest - 0 to 25 degrees. This is the way heat pumps were designed to operate. So, if it is very cold out and you want your house to be a certain temperature, you might have to raise your thermostat by 1 or 2 degrees to maintain it. If it isn't extremely cold out and your heat pump isn't maintaining temperature, or you notice your auxiliary heat on quite a bit, this usually indicates a problem. h2. Here is a partial list of possible causes. * Thermostat not calibrated or level * Low charge * Poor efficiency- needs cleaning and servicing * Bad reversing valve * Bad compressor * Compressor not running * Outdoor unit iced-up * Snow blocking the airflow of the outdoor unit * Outdoor unit not running