How To Troubleshoot Your Heat Pump

How To Troubleshoot Your Heat Pump

There are several reasons why a heat pump can stop working properly or not get started. Here we are discussing some troubleshooting you can do yourself for identifying and rectifying the problem.

Let's find out the operation of a heat pump before you begin troubleshooting heat pump issues:

How does a heat pump work?

The outside device absorbs heat energy from the ambient air. The device can extract energy even when it is cold outside. The unit's liquid refrigerant cools the energy, converting it into a cold gas. It becomes hot gas when pressure is applied, which is then supplied to the inside heat pump unit. The unit's gas cools when the air is let out. As it makes its way back to the outdoor unit, where the cycle is restarted, the pressure is released. This is the basic operation of a heat pump, whether used for cooling or heating a pool or house.

How a heat pump cools..

The procedure is reversed when your heat pump is set to cool. The refrigerant heats up when air is taken into your system and passed over the coils, cooling the air as it does so. Before returning to your interior unit's cools, the refrigerant first cools down in the condenser coils.

Things to look out for when the heat pump stops working right.

 

1.     Check the thermostat or set the temperature

The temperature settings should always be checked when a heat pump isn't producing enough heat or cooling. You'll probably receive cool air coming through the vent if you want it to heat up but it's set to cool or the fan is running nonstop. If you want it to cool and you get warm air, the opposite occurs. The error may occur due to malfunctioning of the sensor itself. Then it is better to contact the supplier.

2.     Checking the power

Whether the heat pump is completely unresponsive, check to see if a circuit breaker hasn't tripped. The heat pump units indoors and outdoors should be on separate breakers. Try resetting the circuit breakers and turning the system back on if one or both of them have tripped.

3.     Check Refrigerant Levels

A low refrigerant charge could be indicated by a frozen coil. Your heat pump won't be able to provide the necessary heat or cooling if the refrigerant level is low. A leak is the most frequent source of this. This can be checked by checking the pressure level of the refrigerant; if it is low, it is better to refill the same.

4.     Check The Reversing Valve

Really what you’d be checking is whether the valve is working. You can do this by running your heat pump in one mode, such as heating, and then switching it to the cooling mode. If it works fine in one mode but fails to work in the other, there may be heat pump problems lie within the reversing valve, which switches the unit from heating to cooling or vice-versa.

5.     Check the water flow

When your pool heater won’t turn on, it could be because of low water flow. Clear out any blockage in the filter, pump, and skimmer basket. Check that the pump is sending a steady flow of water. If it is all cleared and the pump is getting water then there could be problems with your flow switch or pressure switch.

6.     Check if the water temperature is too low.

Sometimes, the water becomes too cold for the heat pump to heat up. There are heat pumps that allow very low temperatures to heat up. But there are limitations. In these situations, it is better to use a solar cover for your pool to reduce the heat loss from the pool. A solar cover helps increase the efficiency of the pool pump significantly.

7.     Check the by-pass valve positions

If we are not getting enough temperature difference in the inlet and outlet of the heat pump, it is better to adjust the positions of the bypass valve to increase or decrease the water flow.

8.     How to rule out leaks around the heat pump

If you come across water in and around the heat pump, it could be a leak or condensation.

This can be found by using a simple chlorine strip. If the water around contains chlorine, you have a leak and if it doesn’t, then you got condensation. If it is condensation, it is highly likely that you have got a clogged drain. Remove any debris for better performance.

If you don’t have a chlorine strip, there is another way to check a leak. Power off the heat pump and run the circulation pump alone to see if there is still water coming, it is highly likely that we got a leak.

9.     If the heat pump not heating up

Sometimes, we are not running the heat pump as much time is required to heat up the water. The temperature difference between the inlet and outlet of the heat pump might be just 2°C and the pump requires a certain amount to heat up the pool water.

 

If you still feel uncomfortable about the working of your heat pump after you have performed these checks, do feel free to contact the supplier.