Heat Pump Repair in Waco, TX
Homes here need heat from November through March and cooling from May through October. If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers McLennan County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Eleven months of run time wears a heat pump down
Your heat pump works almost the whole year in McLennan County. It heats from November through March, then switches over and cools from May through October. That leaves almost no season where it just sits.
Summer afternoons averaging 94°F push the compressor hard for six straight months. Winter nights averaging 38°F mean the system is also running the reversing valve and defrost cycle on the other end. That much switching between heating and cooling wears on the reversing valve itself, and a valve that sticks will leave you with heat when you want cool air, or the other way around. With most homes here heating on electricity, a heat pump that stops working means no backup furnace to fall back on.
- 5 months
- November through March, your system heats
- 6 months
- May through October, it cools
- 38°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.
The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation tests contractors before it licenses them, then keeps a record of who holds that license. It covers the contractor, not the specific job, so the same license that qualifies someone to install a system also covers repairing one.
A heat pump repair usually means opening the refrigerant side of the system, and federal law requires anyone who does that, in every state, to hold EPA Section 608 certification. In Texas that certification works alongside the state license rather than in place of it. Between the two, the person working on the heat pump has been tested on the state's rules for the trade and on the federal rules for handling refrigerant.
Source: Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation
- Why is my heat pump blowing cold air?
- In heating mode, a heat pump moves warm air through the house at a lower temperature than a furnace would, often around body temperature, so it can feel cool even when it's working right. If the air feels truly cold, not just mild, the system may have dropped into defrost mode, or it could be low on refrigerant. A unit stuck in cooling mode when it should be heating usually points to a bad reversing valve, and that's a repair for a licensed contractor.
- Why is there ice on my heat pump?
- Some frost during a defrost cycle on cold mornings is normal, and it should clear within an hour. Ice that stays on the coil or builds up thick means airflow is blocked, often by a dirty filter or a coil that needs cleaning, or the system is low on refrigerant. Running the unit with heavy ice on it can damage the compressor, so it's worth shutting it off and having someone look at it rather than waiting for it to melt on its own.
- Why is my heat pump running but not cooling?
- If the outdoor unit and indoor blower are both running but the air coming out isn't cold, the system is likely low on refrigerant or the outdoor coil is dirty enough to block heat transfer. A clogged filter can cause the same thing by starving the system of airflow, and on a 94°F afternoon that shows up fast as warm air at the vents. Check the filter first since that's the one thing worth trying yourself. If it's clean and the air still isn't cooling, a licensed contractor will need to check the refrigerant charge and the coils.