Is your heat pump having a problem in the wintertime in this video I Want to give you the top seven common issues that we see with heat pumps in the wintertime and some of these may surprise you as we move closer and closer to an electrification process where we're going to see more heat pumps than ever across the United States and across the world. I Think it's important for you to know some of the issues that some of these heat pumps might have and things for you, the homeowner that you can look out for. So let's dive into it. Seven issues that heat pumps have in the wintertime that you need to be aware of: Number One: that heat pump may be having problems or issues keeping up in the wintertime because it's not a low ambient heat pump.

One thing that seems to be swept under the rug a lot is not all heat pumps are created equal. Some are better than others. Before you go, installing one I would encourage you to look up what are the capacities? What are the capabilities of that system system before you have it installed? If we were having this conversation, say 20 years ago, when I first got into this trade, most heat pumps on the market. If it got below freezing temperatures, that heat pump started to really struggle, not just lose capacity, but almost become useless at that point.

But As time has gone on, some of these heat pumps on the market can work well below freezing, well below 0. F Now they all will lose capacity as it gets lower in temperature. But the thing you're looking for is maybe in your area, maybe getting down into the teens or say 20 f is not that common of An Occurrence So if you have a system that can still produce heat well below 0 degrees for example, then you know, say at 20, you're still going to have a system that's producing heat, keeping you comfortable without consuming a ton of energy. Cuz that's the point here, right? That's the reason before I Go any further.

That's the reason you want a heat pump, right? You don't want a system that's consuming a ton of of energy. You're looking for something more efficient, something that is going to be more budget friendly, more friendly to your pocketbook when it comes to utility costs, and so on. So again, before you purchase that next heat pump system, check that out. maybe consider some of these inverter systems that can operate down at lower ambient temperatures.

That's one of the reasons I Sell What I Sell my company we're a Dyan dealer because of the performance that they have with their higher-end systems at lower temperatures outside. So just keep that mind, they're not all created equal. Number two: Consider the backup heat source. So in a lot of cases, you're going to have some sort of backup heat.

and if you have a heat pump system outside, maybe it's going to run on mild days. And then when it gets to those extreme temperatures, you got to have some sort of backup heat that's going to help it out. And what that backup heat is plays a big role in all of this. So if you live in an area that say has less expensive natural gas and you don't have to get propane delivered or electric heat strips that can also draw a lot of energy, natural gas, at least right now, is significantly less when it comes to utility cost typically, and so that may play a role in all this, you may say.

Well, Josh I I can't get natural gas where I live I live in a more rural area and I've got to go with backup electric heat strips or LP gas as my backup heat Source Well, then you might then consider one of those low ambient temperature options. so consider the back up heat source and all this as time goes on. If you watch this video in the future, you may even have more of a hydronic type system where your heat is coming from some sort of hot water source. That's not a extremely new idea.

We've had hydronic heating for years and years, but they're coming out with more efficient hydronic heating options in the future. We're already seeing them be rolled out onto the market, especially in other countries, and I'm fairly certain we're going to see options like that here in America as well. So just consider what is that backup heat? Source Number Three: You might actually have a problem with the heat pump. There might be a problem you might need to get a pro to look at that.

Problems being with the system itself. Maybe a component has failed. Maybe you've got low refrigerant? Maybe there's a sporadic issue or something has just completely failed and it's not working at all. Other issues might be not just that there's a problem necessarily with the system, but maybe with the programming.

We did a whole video talking about balance point. Balance point is something that we go through in that video where it's not the same in all houses. A lot of guys will just simply pick a temperature to have that system lock out the heat pump, and just realize every house is different. There's so many variables when it comes to picking the balance point, and sometimes you've got to kind of play with that a little bit to get the most efficient operating if of that system.

If you will, out of that system, Number four, Maintenance or air filters. If you're not taking care of that system, you're going to have problems. I Would even argue that heat pumps are probably one of the systems that you need to take care of the most. Airflow is a really big deal when it comes to these systems and how they operate.

Maybe you got by with an old oil furnace or boiler and you didn't take care of it like you should and it's still chugged along with heat pumps, it's not going to chug along. You need to take care of that system and make sure that it's being maintained properly and also getting those air filters replaced as often as you should. Poor maintenance not only leads to inefficiency that system not operating as effic ient as it can, but it can also lead to failures. or at least that system struggling.

Number Five: This is probably the most common one, and that is improper installation. and this might be the most scary one for a lot of homeowners because how do you know how do you know if it was actually installed properly? The only thing I can advise you on with that is get a couple opinions, Find somebody that gives you the warm fuzzies. Find a really good company. Sometimes it may involve spending a little bit of money to get things right, but get a couple different opinions.

Let's make sure that everything is the way it should be and is you know, installed properly and so on. Unfortunately, there is a possibility that the damage is done and that whoever installed that system that it limits the capabilities or there ain't but so much that the next guy can do kind of thing, but there are things that can sometimes just be addressed and made right. Number six: Extreme Temperatures and I was reluctant to put this one in there. but I Just think it's something that should be noted if if you've got a system that works great on mild days, it works great on most days.

But you get that extremely extremely cold day that you only see twice a year and that system is struggling to keep up. It just may simply be that that system does have limits. It does have a finite ability of being able to do its thing. and unless you're looking at ways to improve the overall comfort of your home, things like insulation and the overall envelope of your house, how well it lets outside air and ventilation and so on, you've got to consider all of that when you're talking about extreme temperatures.

If it's one of those deals where it only happens like you say, twice a year, maybe it's not necessarily something to be concerned about. And then finally, number seven is maybe that system is freezing up. We've talked about maintenance in this video. we've talked about installations in this video, and we've talked about the overall abilities of the system in this video.

Overall: I Say freezing up. but I would just say overall oper operation if you're a homeowner. I Would say that if there's days that you think that system should be operating, it's a milder day and it should not be operating on the backup heat. Source I Would just visibly check that system every now and then.

Is it turning on and off like it should? Is it freezing up or is it operating as well as it can? A lot of homeowners don't realize there's a problem until it's too late, right? The damage was done. It's been two months of it not running like it should. You've been paying for backup heat source and you never even took a moment to just kind of keep an eye on it. I Would just say you know once a month if you're paying your electric bill, that should tip you off.

Okay, this is the time of the month. Let me just take a peek at that outdoor unit. It's so quiet that I hardly ever hear it. Let me just take a peek at it.

Make sure that those copper lines are getting hot when it should be. Make sure that system's not frozen up, make sure it's turning on when it should, make sure it doesn't look like it needs some sort of Maintenance and just take a peek at that system from time to time. I Did a video a while back or put that right here where we talk about the top three reasons: a system: A heat pump could be having those issues in the winter time. like freezing up.

So I'll wrap up with this. Do I think heat pumps are a bad thing? No. I think that a lot of guys that have been doing this a while, they're still on the train of the thought processes of 20 years ago. Meaning back then heat pumps did become useless at a certain point.

Today we're seeing systems that can operate at extremely low temperatures, still producing heat, saving you tons of money and I personally think that they're a great thing. I think some of the inverter systems that we're seeing today, some of the technologies that we're seeing come out today. They're saving folks tons of money and I think they're a good thing. But I think the main thing is they need to be operating as they should.

And I think you need to keep the seven things we went over in this video in mind. Let me know your thoughts. Comment down below: I'd love to hear those are you Considering one of the newer inverter communicating inverter system for your home and heating is a concern for you. If you like this video, I Think you'll like this one even more.

It's where I talk about how quiet the die can fit inverter heat pump system is compared to a single stage system. Thanks for watching. Hit that subscribe button. We'll see you next time.