Even without a lot of heat pump experience, it's possible to assess the condition of your pump using your senses. While it's not advisable or even possible to taste your heat pump, you other four senses can detect a lot. Here's some signs that something's amiss with your heat pump.
Seeing Visual Issues
One of the only visual issues you can see without opening up your heat pump is the presence of ice. Pumps should not form icicles even in very cold weather, and if the icicles return after you've cleaned them off, that's a sign you have a clogged air filter or a refrigerant leak.
Hearing Noisy Problems
As your heating system powers on, it's not unusual to hear clicking noises from the pump. However, at other times in the pump's cycles, clicking can indicate issues with a capacitor, and it's important to address that as soon as possible because if the capacitor goes out, the pump won't work.
Banging sounds coming from the pump mean that a piece is loose. Typically, this is a fan belt, and ultimately, the banging and crashing will damage other parts of the unit. If you can see what's loose and reattach it, turn off the power and carefully do that, or let a pro handle it. Shrieking and screeching noises typically indicate dirty bearings in a motor that's struggling to work correctly, another problem that needs professional help.
Feeling Vibrations
In addition to listening to your heat pump, place your hand on it, and feel whether it not it moves. An almost imperceptible buzzing sensation is okay -- even if the unit is off, many heat pumps have a coil that emits a low voltage which can feel like buzzing.
If your feel a strong vibration, that could be a number of issues. The easiest and least problematic issue is that the heat pump is shaking a bit as it works and banging against the concrete pad that it's sitting on. To address this, pop a bit of rubber between the feet of the heat pump and the ground. If that doesn't subdue the vibrations, the refrigerant piping may be strapped too tightly to your home's joists, and you may need a professional heat pump installer to repair it for you.
Smelly Signs
Finally, if your heat pump is emitting an odour like dirty old socks, there may be bacteria in it. Turn off the system and clean the coils with disinfectant. If the smell returns, talk with a professional about installing a germ killing light.
Share29 July 2016
Welcome to my blog, my name is Blake and from now on, I will be writing a series of blogs which will deal with the process of finding and working with contractors when constructing a new building. I am not a construction specialist but last summer I gained a lot of experience in this area when I hired a team of 32 contractors to build a holiday home. When hiring contractors, it is important that you understand how to communicate with them and their ways of working. Below are a series of blogs which will help you to find the best contractors.