Why does my heat pump freeze in Vancouver WA? There are a few reasons why your heat pump can freeze and a light frost is normal during times of low outdoor temperatures. Although, thick ice is not normal and requires addressing.
When your heat pump tries to take the heat out of the air and the air is cold there can be ice that builds on the outdoor unit. As the ice builds the refrigerant inside the unit gets colder and colder. On the defrost controls is a timer that tests this refrigerant temperature and detects this frost.
After detecting frost through temperature the unit will initiate the defrost cycle. When this happens you will notice that the outdoor fan will stop spinning and the unit will make a swish sound and you might see a puff of steam, and feel some cooler air at the registers.
During this operation, the refrigerant is reversed and the boiling refrigerant comes back to the unit to defrost it.
If the unit is low on refrigerant, or the defrost control is faulty then this process may not work and ice will build on the unit.
If your heat pump is turning into an ice block you will need to turn it off and call a technician to have it checked and repaired.
If you need help and your heat pump is freezing in Vancouver WA, then call Dan's Top Notch Heating and Cooling Inc. We would be glad to help. Call today. (360) 835-9364
