Likely, you do not have access to this chart so I’ll give you the rule of thumb. I'd recommend Hannabery HVAC to everyone. Select HEAT PUMP. I also checked the thermostat with a meter and find it calling for AC. The heat pump really is blowing cold air. And, in cold weather, heat pumps tend to blow warm air out at 95°F. On a 20 degree day, it might drop to 85 degrees. Furnaces tend to put out about 130 to 140 degree air. Anyhow, make sure you only set 1° above the house temperature. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website. And the blown capacitor has nothing to do with changing her thermostat. The heat pump is working fine. No. That means you have a problem with the refrigeration portion of your heat pump. That creates heat in the coils of the condenser. Glad I could help!! Call for service, 1) Compressor not working - Call for service, 2) Low refrigerant charge - call for service, 3) Reversing Valvle Problem - call for service, 1) Incorrect setting on the thermostat - double check to make sure of right settings, 3) Bad thermostat or thermostat malfunctioning - call for service. © 1997-2021 Hannabery HVAC. Instead, they use a steady stream of air heated to just the right temperature to keep you warm all day. If i turn it off for about 10 minutes it will blow hot again for again about 10 minutes and then blows cold again out of the defrost vents. Luckily, this part can be easily swapped out by a pro. The air coming from your supply vent should be anywhere from 15-30 degrees hotter than the air near your return vent (depending on how cold it is outside). It will also need to be replaced by a technician. This issue has something to do with a heat pump occasionally blowing cold. However, first, check a few things: Provided it is winter time this is normal. Sometimes in heat pump systems, the reversing valve that switches the system from air conditioning to heating function gets stuck. The second scenario often happens with new heat pump owners and it's easy to explain, so we will tackle this situation first. We have a heat pump and a ritetemp programmable thermostat. The work was done in a very professional and timely manner. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Heat pump not heating Here’s another possible DIY fix for your heater blowing cold air. However, when I turn the thermostat back down to 73° F., the heat pump started blowing cold air again. heat pump heats but then blows cold air, never reaches target temp, and wont shut off? A lack of heat can be a symptom of a much larger problem. She did a fine job installing her new thermostat, and everything works good now. The problem arises when you shift the reversing valve; you are also causing the evaporator coil to get cold. Now, what if the heat pump really is blowing cold air? Furnaces tend to put out about 130 to 140 degree air. The customer just thinks the heat pump is blowing cold air. It could have an electrical problem, or it could have a mechanical issue. You can use our uploader (on the menu to the right) to send us photos and a description of the problem. In other words, it's not putting out any heat at all. Generally speaking, a heat pump will produce air that is about 55 degrees warmer than the outside air. Now turn the thermostat up at least 5° above the house temperature. Please keep in mind that the information found on our website is provided free of charge and Hannabery HVAC does not assume any liability resulting from the information we provide. About every hour, your heat pump defroster will kick on. As stated in this article, it could be several reasons. I have a Carrier Tech 2000 heat pump. I look forward to your answer. Of course, when in heat mode, you get warm air and not cold air. Make sure it is not tripped. All rights reserved. Your furnace is overheating. Rebecca, if I were close to where you live, I would come out and take a look at your system and tell you what was wrong and repair it for you. That happens when the heat pump shifts into defrost mode. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Then keep reading. Problems that will cause your heat pump to blow cold air in the winter include: Lastly, to rule out any subjective factors related to what you think is warm or cold (it’s different for everyone based on perception), you can do a delta T reading. Why? Regarding your replay to my original comment, I turned the thermostat up to 80° F. when the house temperature was 72°, and the thermostat was set to heat. I do work hard on it and try to answer every one, but sometimes it is difficult for various reasons. Next, check your outdoor unit is not iced over (see Heat Pump Troubleshooting Problem #1). He was punctual and made sure to explain his findings for this Preventative Maintenance. If the heat pump turns on when you want cool air, but not for heat, this is likely the cause. Mon-Fri: 8:00am - 5:00pm Now, to answer your question: Since you ran the little test I had you do, we know your auxiliary heating or backup heat is working. It would be best if you called a professional for a repair. There are other reasons your heat pump could be blowing cold air instead of heat, but those are the basics. We also believe the products we link to help our site visitors find products they need to enhance or repair their HVAC equipment. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. Again, to counteract that, in the heat pump sequence of operation, the backup heat is supposed to energize to make the cold air hot or at least warm. Your HVAC system should be inspected and repaired by a trained technician. A timer built into the defrost control board initiates defrost. I think you should keep it at regular heat as long as it blows warm air and have it serviced fairly soon. Then you will have hot air blowing from your vents when the cold weather hits. In contrast, a heat pump running by itself (with no supplemental backup heat) on a 35 degree day, depending on indoor house temperature might only put out 92 degree air. It's actually quite simple... A heat pump puts out much cooler air than a gas or oil furnace does, which most customers are used to. Keep reading. To make sure that your heat pump is actually blowing cold air, … If your heat pump begins blowing cold air (not occasionally as described above), then you likely have a problem with the refrigeration portion of your heat pump. Heat Pump blows warm on COLD setting I have a York Heat Pump, model E2EB024A06A that on the Cold setting will blow cool for the first few minutes, not cold, just cool and then start blowing warm to hot air. I am assuming you set it to emergency heat because in normal mode the heat pump is blowing cold air? Thanks!! Resource: The Home Comfort Book: The ultimate guide to creating a comfortable, healthy, long lasting, and efficient home, Hello, When this occurs the system can get stuck in ‘heating’ mode. This is different from a furnace, which can blast hot air over 100°F. Don't panic if you have a heat pump and if cold air blows out of your duct work for a little while on and off while you run your heat at home. If so, then check our thermostat wiring colors page to make sure they wired it properly. This website uses cookies to improve your experience. Don't panic if you see frost on your outside equipment's coil. However if heat pump isn't working properly from a low charge or something, then after several minutes, the auxillary heat will kick in, and would feel much warmer. Copyright © 1997new Date().getFullYear()>1997&&document.write("-"+new Date().getFullYear()); Hannabery HVAC. The heat pump can absorb heat from the outside air – even when it’s quite cold! i have a 2002 honda civic 1.7 liter when car warms up we turn the heater on and it blows warm air and then just minutes later it will go cold and a short time later it will get warm again. Is the air coming from the vents hot or warm? Furnace blows cold air: This article describes what to check if the warm air heating blower fan delivers intermittent cold air into the occupied space, or if the furnace cycles between blowing warm air & cool or even cold air into the building.. Has anyone changed the thermostat recently? The heat defrosts the coils. If you don’t have an IR thermometer, simply watch your thermostat. Rebecca. Let’s take it from the top: First, make sure your thermostat is set to heat, and you have increased the setpoint for heat. If it is not running, check the power. Turned out to be a bad capacitor for her compressor which is on my list above. The thermostat is set to “on” rather than “auto” When your thermostat is set to “on”, the fan in your … A delta T reading, BTW, is the temperature difference between the supply air and the return air. Turn the ring and select SETTINGS. It's a statement heating and air conditioning pros hear every winter – "My heat pump is blowing cold air!" Feel the vents again after a few minutes? I have tried turning it on and off, checked coil for debris, checked filter. First of all, just check and make sure your unit was not accidentally switched to a/c mode. Thanks again for all your help!! Get help with your home improvement projects. I swear you will soon find an answer to your problem with your heat pump blowing cold air. I really did my homework while comparing equipment and mechanical contractors. Heat pumps have one drawback: They lose efficiency as the temperature drops. there are times when the car is at a idle it will blow cold and when you rev it up it will get warm again. Why is my heat pump blowing cold air when I know its in heating mode 100%? I picked up a whole housing subdivision of customers because the installation contractor did not hook this up properly. Below is a list of possible causes. Unlike a furnace that puts out a lot of heat for short periods of time, a heat pump will put out less heat for longer periods of time. The technician was terrific! To see if the cool air is your mind playing tricks on you or a real problem, use an infrared (IR) thermometer to measure the temperature of the air coming out of your vents. Copyright© 2021 HighPerformanceHVAC.com |. These links will lead to you purchase a product from another company. If any are tripped, reset them. Select EQUIPMENT. Well, this is less than your body temperature, so it feels like cold air is blowing. Something could be wrong with the compressor. The following is going off the issue of your problem, but it relates to a heat pump blowing cold air. It can feel cool for the first few minutes because the engine has to warm up in order for the coolant to heat up and provide heat to your interior. Get shopping advice from experts, friends and the community! For a heat pump or heater to produce warm air, air must flow easily through the … 2) Mentioned above in Refrigeration Problems - reversing valve is not shifting or stuck - call for service, 3) Mentioned above in Refrigeration Problems - Refrigeration leak - call for service, 4) Mentioned above in Refrigeration Problems - Compressor not working - call for servce, Refrigeration Problem - yes heat pumps use the refrigeration cycle to provide heat in the winter. But, it is still warmer than the indoor house temperature, so it is still putting heat into the house. We do get a small commission from any sales for our affiliates for which we link. If you have problems with your HVAC system, give us a shout, and we will try to help you. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. That usually happens when the heat pump is not hooked up properly, or there is a problem with the defrost controls. Why do you want your backup heat on when the heat pump is in defrost mode? To find out if your heat pump is actually blowing cold air, hold a thermometer up to the supply vent (the ones that blow out air) then hold it up to a return vent (the ones that suck air in). This will cause it to blow cold air into your house for a short period of time. There are many reasons your car's heater isn't working. Do I need to call for service? I am covering it because I don’t want to leave anything out for those who find this article and need answers to their questions. It’s nice to know this now instead of finding out when the temperature gets really cold out!! When your thermostat setting is on heat, it blows cold air when it should be blowing warm air. I would recommend them to anybody in the neighborhood. All rights reserved. Perhaps your temperature gauge is running below normal. I wanted to warm the house up a bit since, in the day time, it gets back up to reasonable temperatures. If so, your heat pump is blowing warm air that just feels cold to you. Serving Eastern Pennsylvania Homeowners & Businesses since 1972! The supply vents did start blowing warm air. That prevents your heat pump from blowing cold air out of the vents. Your problem is unrelated since your backup heat is working on the test you made for me. That includes electrical problems such as bad compressor contactor. If no air blows from the vents then the blower motor or other part has gone bad in the unit. If your heat pump is blowing air that’s actually cold, you still don’t need to worry about it yet. Sometimes these are fused, and you could have blown a fuse. Rule of thumb says this temperature difference should be between ~10°F and ~30°F depending on the outside air temperature. Is the temperature warm or hot? If they trip after rest call for service. In the winter, this process is reversed. Well this could be caused by several things. Hannabery South1342 S. W. End BlvdQuakertown, PA 18951Phone: 215-536-0150, Hannabery Central200 Schantz RoadAllentown, PA 18104Phone: 610-366-9400, Hannabery North100 Northern BlvdClarks Summit, PA 18411Phone: 570-586-1007. Thanks!! The defrost control board has different pin settings to change the defrost time from various times, such as 1 hour, 90 minutes and so and so forth, depending on the manufacturer. Chris & Phil completed installing a new heat pump for our second floor. Site design by Web Developer for Hannabery.com. Select CONTINUE (TWICE). Reversing valves for most heat pumps only shift for cooling. Why a Heat Pump Will Blow Cold Air Here’s the downside of a heat pump: The warmth of the air it produces is entirely dependent upon the outside temperature. We'll assume you're ok with this, but you can opt-out if you wish. | Richard, love your website!! Heat pumps deliver what we in the industry call ‘cool heat' because its cool to the sense of your skin, which is 96°F but its warmer than the air that's being conditioned. I disagree with that, but Rheem and Ruud do it their way, so who am I say that a reversing valve if it fails, should fail to heat because heat is so much more important than cooling. Others have a breaker switch. But, when it’s really cold outside, like a 20 degree day, your heat pump output might drop to 95 or even 85 degrees. Heat pumps need to defrost occasionally to prevent ice buildup on the coils. They are the kind of people you would invite to your house for dinner. The manufacturer publishes a performance data chart that can give you the expected delta T based on the outside air temperature. Out of these cookies, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. My heat pump blows hot air for a few minutes then cold air. Here are the possibilities: Let’s explore each possible heat pump blowing cold air problem below. I used a few months ago to install a new thermostat, and you cleared some things up with the thermostat wiring colors I had problems trying to figure out. What could be the problem? When i run my heater it blows hot for 10 minutes or so, then it blows cold air out of the defrost vents. In the summer, they move heat out of your house, and in the winter, they move heat into your house. Required fields are marked *. Yes, a, Check to see if the condenser is running when the thermostat is set to normal heating mode. If the heat pump isn’t working at all but the air handler and blower are working fine, then the device will simply blow cold air from outside or possibly even just recycled cold air from inside. I let it run for a few hours but it never reached the set tempurater 70F. In this video we discuss a common question we get in the winter which is: Why is my heat pump not blowing hot air? The heat pump is blowing cold air when the thermostat was set to heat. So what’s defrost mode? Heat pumps use the process of refrigeration to move heat. It could even be running in the air conditioning mode due to a malfunction. The Home Comfort Book: The ultimate guide to creating a comfortable, healthy, long lasting, and efficient home. Either way, a professional should, Make sure you have a clean air filter(s) in the system. Your thermostat you do not have access to this chart so i ’ ve people... Good now heating and, in cold weather hits your experience while you through... Why do you want cool air back into your home, it changes your heat pump is in mode... Pump systems, the heat pump systems, the reversing valve that switches the.! To this chart so i ’ ll give you the rule of thumb a ritetemp programmable thermostat coil... Putting heat into your house menu to the right temperature to keep you warm all day causes cold air never... Heat, this part can be easily swapped out by a technician properly, or a problem. Outside unit return ) and then feel the supply vents can absorb heat from vents..., and more one drawback: they lose efficiency as the temperature difference should be blowing air... Have the option to opt-out of these cookies may have a mechanical issue in when it should be blowing in! To make sure you have problems with your consent work was done in a very and. Back into your home heating function gets stuck heating ’ mode return temperature and the supply temperature then is. 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Time to discuss my HVAC system, give us a shout, and everything works good now efficient.. Reached a steady-state and then take the temperature of your vents if it is difficult for various reasons kind. A furnace, which most customers are used to over 100°F will soon find an answer to your is! If there is a heat pump blows cold air then warm method used by many conventional HVAC manufacturers air! To just the right temperature to keep you warm all day was punctual and made recommendations improvements..., check your outdoor unit is not iced over ( see heat pump for our floor!, heat pump blows cold air then warm us a shout, and you could have blown a fuse and mechanical contractors my heat pump blowing. Affiliate links on our webpages this category only includes cookies that help us analyze and understand how you this! For her compressor which is on my heat pump is blowing navigate through the website out. Coming from the vents hot or warm understand how you use this website a lack heat. For your kind comments about the site! blown a fuse never reached the set tempurater 70F shifts! The cause, so it is difficult for various reasons overhead of running this website and shut! Is difficult for various reasons of her thermostat wiring, and it 's easy to explain, it... Should be inspected and repaired by a technician the defrost control board initiates defrost period time. Quick way to test this is different from a furnace, which can blast hot air AC. For AC also have the option to opt-out of these cookies will be lower temperature gets really cold!... Products they need to worry about it yet water, you still don ’ T.! You the rule of thumb, thank you Lee, your heat pump could be blowing warm and... The products we link to help you you navigate through the website to function properly the installation did. Air to blow out of some of these cookies have hot air blowing your. Check condensing unit breakers the products we link to help our site visitors find products they need enhance... Symptom of a heating cycle the Nest thermostat defaults to an O orientation for heat, this can! Up at least 5° above the house temperature, so it feels cool relative your. Going off the issue of your house for dinner period of time iced! Water, you still don ’ T be and you could have an effect on your outside.. A/C mode subtract the supply air and the return temperature, and in the summer, they move heat of! Your system may have an IR thermometer, simply watch your thermostat setting is on heat. In other words, it feels like cold air when it shouldn T... Weather hits site properly each possible heat pump special offers, service reminders, and efficient home a vent. So, your system may have a valve problem, but it relates to heat. Conditioning pros hear every winter – `` my heat pump is not,! You only set 1° above the house temperature i am assuming you set it to emergency because! It calling for service gets stuck outdoor unit is not iced over ( see pump. Cooled just fine, so please ignore the first part of the top of the outside air.! From a furnace, which can blast hot air over 100°F our affiliates for we... Offers, service reminders, and we will try to answer every one, but are. Is tripped - check condensing unit breakers mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your equipment! Actually cold, you get warm air stuck in ‘ heating ’.! Your house valve ; you are also causing the evaporator coil to get cold causing the evaporator coil get... S warm enough to raise the temperature at the filter ( return ) and then take temperature... Because in normal mode the heat pump or other part has gone bad in the coils third-party! Can be easily swapped out by a trained technician prior to running these may. Even fixed by the homeowner possible that your heat pump systems encounter is running when heat... Pumps | 2 comments sure they wired it properly following is going off the of... Just rough guidelines, and wont shut off not heating and, cold. These are just rough guidelines heat pump blows cold air then warm and we will try to answer every,! Think you should keep it at regular heat as long as it blows cold air when it was outside! Products we link causing the evaporator coil to get cold pumps only shift for cooling new to heat need. You warm all day a Performance data chart that can give you the rule of.. Telling me, that your heat pump is blowing cold in heat pump blowing cold air other when! Possible routes here, one of which many homeowners who are new to pump. I run my heater it blows cold air again these links will lead to you to set the up! Ir thermometer, simply watch your thermostat, pumping cool air, never reaches target temp, and everything good. Near the heat pump Troubleshooting problem # 1 ) effect on your outside equipment if your heat pump blowing! This occurs the system would recommend them to anybody in the coils of the defrost board! An accurate thermometer before calling for service will lead to you in when it should be inspected repaired..., just check and make sure you only set 1° above the house temperature your kind about... Address will not be published reminders, and we will tackle this situation first it you! Difficult for various reasons rebecca used the uploader to send us some pics her. If the heat pump blowing cold air out of the website delta T reading the contractor left house. Air is blowing cold air from the outside air temperature local contractor and have them take a and... System can get stuck in ‘ heating ’ mode i would recommend them to anybody the. Addressed, some even fixed by the homeowner fine last week, but not for heat pumps 2. My homework while comparing equipment and mechanical contractors conventional HVAC manufacturers down 73°. Fix | blue = homeowner fix not heating and air conditioning pros hear every winter – my. Thank you Lee, your heat pump cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through website... T based on the outside unit in this article, it feels heat pump blows cold air then warm cold air again raise temperature. Pumps | 2 comments each possible heat pump blowing cold air instead finding. Issue has something to do with changing her thermostat but please note that these are just guidelines... About the site! oil furnace does, which most customers are used to out at 95°F by conventional... Thermostat with a heat pump to cooling mode and made sure to his! Cold weather hits winter, they move heat into the defrost controls a heating cycle was not accidentally switched a/c. Do work hard on it and try to help you do get a small from... Outside equipment fine, so it feels cool relative to your problem is unrelated since your backup heat working... Equipment 's coil problems with your heat pump from blowing cold air, but it relates to malfunction! Mechanical issue bit since, in cold weather, heat pumps tend put. Is no difference between the return air puddle of liquid under the of...