As the the final days of winter edge into the spring season, you may find yourself turning down your heat pump’s output. Pay close attention to your heat pump when you do this: if it suddenly starts blowing cold air, this could be a sign of an HVAC problem. Here local heating and cooling company Hader shares a look at what you should do if your heat pump starts blowing cold air.
It Could be Blowing Air That’s Relatively Cool
While heat pumps and furnaces both fulfill the same requirement—providing warm air to indoor spaces—they do so in different ways. Furnaces generate heat from burning fuel, therefore they release a great amount of heat; fuel combustion can peak at over 1,000 degrees. On the other hand, heat pumps produce a more controlled heat. Close to the heating coils, heated air can peak between 85 and 90 degrees.
The ideal thermostat setting is 68 degrees, which means at 90 degrees, heat pumps still release conditioned air that’s over 20 degrees hotter than the ideal. However, compared to the temperature of the average human body (98.6 degrees), heat pumps can feel like they’re blowing cool air. You can check whether or not your heat pump is really blowing cool air by checking your thermostat’s readings every 30 minutes after turning the heat pump on. If it stabilizes at your desired temperature settings, you probably won’t have to call for heating and cooling repairs just yet.
It Could be In Defrost Mode
Heat pumps are essentially reverse air conditioners. A typical air conditioning system compresses and condenses refrigerant, which, at different stages of compression, becomes very hot or very cold. Cool air is generated by blowing air through pipes cooled by the refrigerant, while hot air is vented through coils in the outdoor unit. Heat pumps use the same compression-condensation cycle to generate heat, but instead of heat being the waste byproduct, it becomes the product.
Most air pumps have a defrost mode, which, when engaged, reverses the heating cycle and releases heat through the outdoor unit. This feature is designed to remove ice from the condenser coils, as manual removal can damage thm. If your heat pump is blowing cool air, there’s a good chance defrost mode may have been engaged unintentionally.
Call Hader for Heating and Cooling Repairs
In the event that your heat pump really does have a problem, Hader is the one to go to for all your heating and air conditioning needs. Give us a call at (513) 661-1910 or fill out our contact form. We serve customers in Cincinnati and nearby areas.
