Keep Your Home a Little Warmer This Winter with a Heat Pump
A heat pump probably isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when thinking about cooling your home. However, heat pumps are very efficient at both heating and cooling, and in locations with mild climates a heat pump is often preferred over separate cooling and heating systems.
How Does a Heat Pump Work?
Heat pumps and air conditioners work similarly. In the simplest terms a heat pump transfers warm or cool air between different locations, much in the same way a refrigerator removes heat and replaces the warm air with cooler air. Typically, heat pumps are most commonly used to take heat from the ground, water or air, but the system can also be reversed to bring in cooler air. A heat pump is extremely efficient, as it only transfers heat rather than using energy to create it.
How Does a Heat Pump Benefit my Home?
Heat pumps have numerous practical advantages, one of which being it is a smaller system than traditional HVAC units which has the ability to both heat and cool your home. A second big benefit is heat pumps are highly fuel efficient, drastically reducing heating and cooling bills, and can raise or lower temperatures inside a building much more quickly than other types of heating and cooling systems. Heat Pumps are very safe, as unlike gas or wood burners there is no production of waste material and there are no hot surfaces or flames. Additionally, heat pumps don’t burn oxygen or create gases, so there is no danger of asphyxiation.
What are the signs of damage for a heat pump?
There are several signs that a heat pump needs to be serviced. During normal operation the coils of the heat pump will have a temperature below freezing which will cause any moisture in the air to condensate and freeze on the coils. To combat ice buildup on the coil the heat pump has a defrost function to melt off the ice, so if you noticing ice continually building up the pump probably requires servicing.
If the system won’t start, runs only for a brief period and then shuts down or runs more than usual the pump may have a faulty electrical circuit and should be looked at by a trained technician. Finally, if you notice any loud or unusual noises, such as excessive vibrations, banging or scraping coming from the heat pump you should shut the unit off immediately and call a technician.
Pump up the heat in your Anoka area home with a new heat pump! Call the experts of Superior Heating, Air Conditioning, and Electric at (763) 422-1721 to schedule an installation, repair, or replacement.