Is Your Heat Struggling?

As the weather drops in temperature, your home or business space may not be the warmth preferred. Is your heat struggling?

Signs that your heat is struggling

To start, heat pumps generally struggle when the weather drops to 32F or lower. This is when the system automatically turn on Auxiliary or Emergency Heat. This is not uncommon, it is your system asking for extra help to keep up with a cycle set for 20F above or below the outside temperature.

Another sign is if the heat does not turn on at all. Something could go wrong in your system. This is more likely to happen if your system does not go through regular maintenance and checked on before the heat and cold season.

The system may also struggle is it is too old. HVAC systems generally last between 10-20 years. However at the beach, the life span goes down to around 12 years. If the age of your system is around these time marks, it may be time to get a new system if it cannot keep up with the temperature changes or if the system has reoccurring issues.

Here are some causes to Heat Pump Problems

Let’s go back to the temperature drop. Sometimes ice or snow tend to cover over the system. Although this is rare in the areas we service, try to keep these conditions from covering the equipment. On the other hand, an animal could get caught in the system. It is dangerous to try to get the creature out yourself, dead or alive. Nonetheless, they do need to come out before causing an further problems. Do not be afraid to call us for help.

A more common cause for heat problems are constantly adjusting the thermostat. Try to come to an agreement with yourself and the other members sharing the space to avoid a heating struggle. It is understandable that we want to save money and time, thus, keeping the thermostat set consistently prevents the heat from struggling and save on your energy bill.

Although unlikely, there may be an installation problem. For example, the heat pump could be the wrong size compared to the square footage of the home or business. The heat pump could also be the wrong power level or the system may not have enough insulation. These issues can be costly, to avoid, go with a company you can trust, like us!

Speaking of costly issues, the heating struggle could just come to a repair need. The system could need heat strips, the breaker could be broken, the ducts could need replacing; there are endless possibilities. If you follow up with the other possibilities first, the issue may come down to a repair need.