Heat Pump Repair in San Marcos, TX
Homes here need heat from November through March and cooling from April through October. If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Hays County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
San Marcos runs its heat pump almost every month of the year
Your heat pump switches between cooling and heating almost year round here. Summer afternoons average 94°F, so the compressor runs long hours from April through October. Then winter nights average 41°F, cold enough to keep the system in heating mode from November through March. That constant switch from one job to the other wears on parts that a system running one mode at a time would spare.
Hays County has logged 8 winter storms and 36 damaging wind events over the past ten years. A hard freeze can ice up the outdoor unit, and a wind event can knock out power. Most heat pumps come back on by themselves once power is restored, but a freeze that catches the outdoor coil first can leave you without heat until it thaws or gets serviced.
- 5 months
- November through March, your system heats
- 7 months
- April through October, it cools
- 41°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 94°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Texas requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
TDLR tests contractors before it licenses them and keeps a record of who holds one. That license belongs to the contractor, not to any single job. The same license that qualifies someone to work on your neighbor's furnace is what qualifies them to work on your heat pump.
A heat pump repair means opening the refrigerant side of the system. That work needs its own credential on top of the state license. The technician has to hold EPA Section 608 certification, a federal requirement that applies in every state regardless of what Texas does. The person at your house should hold both. The state license covers the business. The federal certification covers the refrigerant work itself.
Source: Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation
- Why is my heat pump blowing cold air?
- In heating mode, air from a heat pump vent is naturally cooler than furnace air, but it should still feel warmer than the room. If it feels cold and is not warming the house, the system may have dropped into defrost mode and stayed there, or it could be low on refrigerant. A reversing valve stuck in the wrong position will also send cold air through the house instead of warm. A licensed contractor can check the refrigerant charge and the reversing valve to find which one it is.
- Why is there ice on my heat pump?
- A thin layer of frost during a defrost cycle in winter is normal, but thick ice that stays on the coil is not. That usually means airflow is restricted, often from a dirty filter or a blocked outdoor coil, or the system is low on refrigerant and running colder than it should. With winter nights here averaging 41°F, defrost cycles run often, so a unit that is already struggling with airflow or charge will ice over faster. Have a contractor check the coil, the filter, and the refrigerant level before ice buildup damages the compressor.
- Why is my heat pump running but not cooling?
- If the outdoor unit is running but the house is not cooling, the most common causes are low refrigerant, a dirty outdoor coil that cannot release heat, or a failing compressor. A frozen indoor coil will also block airflow and stop cold air from reaching the vents even while the system runs. On a 94°F afternoon, a heat pump low on refrigerant or blocked by a dirty coil will struggle far more than it would on a mild day. A licensed contractor can check the refrigerant charge and inspect both coils to find the cause.