Heat Pump Repair in Houston, TX
Homes here need heat from November through February and cooling from April through October. If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Harris County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Your heat pump barely gets a break here
In Harris County, your heat pump runs from April through October to cool the house, then switches over for the four cooler months to heat it. Only a few weeks a year go by without it running in one mode or the other, and switching back and forth puts real hours on the reversing valve.
Summer afternoons averaging 93°F mean the outdoor unit runs long stretches just to keep up, and that load wears on the run capacitor and the compressor. Winter nights averaging 45°F are mild enough that the heat pump can usually handle the heating on its own, which is why 55.4% of homes here heat with electricity instead of gas. When the compressor or the reversing valve gives out, there is often nothing else in the house to heat it. Texas also sees its share of power interruptions, and a heat pump that does not restart on its own once power returns can leave a house waiting on heat or cooling until someone checks the outdoor unit.
- 4 months
- November through February, your system heats
- 7 months
- April through October, it cools
- 45°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 93°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Texas requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
TDLR tests and licenses the contractor, not each job, so the license on file belongs to the business you hire. It tells you TDLR has tested this contractor and keeps a record of them.
A heat pump repair means working on the refrigerant side of the system, and that requires EPA Section 608 certification everywhere in the country, separate from the Texas license. The state license tells you the contractor was tested and is on record with TDLR. The federal certification tells you the technician handling your refrigerant lines is qualified to do that work without venting or mishandling refrigerant.
Source: Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation
- Why is my heat pump blowing cold air?
- In heating mode, the air from your vents is meant to feel warm compared to the room, not hot to the touch, so mild air by itself is not always a problem. First check that the thermostat is set to heat and not fan only, since the fan will move unheated air if the system is not actually calling for heat. Cold air for a few minutes can also mean the unit has switched into defrost mode to clear ice off the outdoor coil, which is normal on cold nights. If the air stays cold well past that, the system may be low on refrigerant or the reversing valve may be stuck, and a contractor will need to check it.
- Why is there ice on my heat pump?
- Some frost on the outdoor unit during winter is normal. Your heat pump pulls heat from the outside air, and when it is cold and humid out, moisture on the coil freezes, so the system runs a defrost cycle every so often to melt it off. A thin, even layer that clears on its own is nothing to worry about. Thick ice that builds up fast, covers the coil solid, or never seems to clear points to a problem with the defrost control, the outdoor fan, or low refrigerant, and that needs a contractor to look at it.
- Why is my heat pump running but not cooling?
- If the unit is running but the air is not getting cold, start with the filter and the outdoor unit. A clogged filter or a blocked outdoor coil, especially after wind blows leaves and debris into it, restricts airflow enough that the system struggles to cool. Check that the thermostat is set to cool, not heat or auto, since a heat pump can end up in the wrong mode after a power outage. If the filter is clean, the outdoor unit is clear, and the settings look right, the system is likely low on refrigerant or has a failing part, and a contractor will need to test it to know which.