Heat Pump Repair in Gastonia, NC
Homes here need heat from October through April and cooling from May through September. If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Gaston County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Your heat pump works both sides of the year here
In Gastonia your heat pump runs from October through April to keep the house warm, then switches over and runs May through September to keep it cool. That is all twelve months with barely a break, and the switchover itself puts a strain on the reversing valve that a furnace or an air conditioner alone never sees.
Winter nights averaging 32°F mean the system is pulling heat from outside air that is right at the point where the outdoor coil can ice up, so the defrost cycle runs often. Summer afternoons near 88°F push the compressor hard on the cooling side. Between the two, a heat pump here works harder across more months than most parts are built to handle without attention, and a unit that is starting to struggle will fall behind on the coldest nights or the hottest afternoons before it fails outright.
- 7 months
- October through April, your system heats
- 5 months
- May through September, it cools
- 32°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 88°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
North Carolina requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors tests HVAC contractors before they can work in North Carolina. It keeps a record of who holds a license. That license belongs to the contractor, not to this particular repair, so the check happened before this job existed.
A heat pump repair means opening the refrigerant side of the system. Federal law requires whoever does that to hold EPA Section 608 certification, in Gaston County the same as anywhere else in the country. That certification covers the refrigerant work itself. The state license is what says the contractor was tested to do the job at all.
Sources: North Carolina General Assembly · North Carolina State Board of Examiners of Plumbing, Heating and Fire Sprinkler Contractors
- Why is my heat pump blowing cold air?
- In heating mode, a heat pump puts out air that feels cool even when it is working right, because the air coming out is warmer than the room but still well below body temperature. If the air is actually cold, or the system is blowing cold air while set to heat, check that the thermostat is set correctly and the outdoor unit is running. When the outdoor unit is frozen or not running at all, the system can lose its ability to move heat indoors and you get room-temperature or cold air instead. A contractor can check the refrigerant charge and the reversing valve, since a valve stuck in the wrong position will also send cold air through the vents.
- Why is there ice on my heat pump?
- Some frost on the outdoor coil during a cold night is normal, and the system should melt it off on its own through a built-in defrost cycle. If the coil is coated in thick ice, or ice is building up faster than the defrost cycle clears it, something is stopping the unit from defrosting properly. This can come from low refrigerant, a fan motor that has slowed down or stopped, or a failed defrost control. Since winter nights here average 32°F, this kind of icing is common enough that a heat pump left unable to defrost itself can freeze up repeatedly through the season, so it is worth having a contractor look at the defrost sensor and refrigerant level.
- Why is my heat pump running but not cooling?
- If the outdoor unit and indoor blower are both running but the air is not getting cold, the most common cause is a dirty air filter or a coil restricting airflow, or refrigerant that has leaked out. A refrigerant leak will not just reduce cooling, it can also frost the indoor coil, which then blocks airflow even further. Since summer afternoons here average 88°F, a system low on refrigerant will struggle to keep up on the hottest days even if it seems to run fine in the morning. Checking the refrigerant charge means opening the sealed system, which by federal law only a technician with EPA Section 608 certification can do.