Fort Collins Heating & Air Conditioning Blog

Why is their Frost on My Heat Pump?

Why is there frost on my heat pump?” It seems counter-intuitive, but it’s one of the most common issues faced with heat pump repair in Bellvue. Heat pumps work reasonably well in Colorado, especially when combined into a hybrid unit to help it carry the load on those cold winter nights. But problems can always arise, and frost build-up is one of them. To understand how it is created, it is important to understand how heat pumps work.

Heat pumps cycle refrigerant to help warm and cool the air. The frost issue usually occurs at the evaporator coils, where liquid refrigerant returns to a gaseous state and pulls heat out of the surrounding air in the process. Heat pumps usually have two sets of coils, one indoor and one outdoor. In the summer, the indoor coils serve as the evaporator in order to cool the air. In the winter, the outdoor coils perform that function, releasing the cool air outside instead of in your home.

That process requires specific amounts of refrigerant to work; the exact amount depends on the precise brand and model of your heat pump. If the refrigerant levels are too low – usually because a leak has sprung up in the system – then the process is knocked off kilter and frost shows up on the coils. That frost represents lost cooling potential that is stuck on the surface of the coils instead of moving into your house (or safely out of the system in the winter). Moreover, it serves as an insulator between the refrigerant and the air it’s trying to cool, further restricting the process.

Unfortunately, you can’t just scrape the ice off and expect it to get better. The problem lies with the lower levels of refrigerant and besides, scraping the ice off may damage the coils. Fortunately, a trained expert can hunt down the source of the leak and seal it before recharging refrigerant levels to their required levels. If you’re asking “why is there frost on my heat pump?” then the professionals at Fort Collins Heating & Air Conditioning are ready to help. We handle heat pump repair in Bellvue, and our staff is well trained in dealing with refrigerant leaks. Call us today to set up a repair session!

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