We’re well into the heating season and in chilly Colorado Springs, that means you’ve been using your heat pump for a while now. Hopefully, you’re content with your home heating system and it’s kept your home warm and toasty all winter. If your heat pump hasn’t been performing as well as you’d like, it might be time to call us for heat pump service.
Some homeowners put off calling for repairs because they’re afraid that they’ll be told their heat pump needs to be replaced. This shouldn’t be a reason to make do with lackluster performance. Let’s go over some signs of common heat pump issues, when they warrant repairs, and when it might be time to consider replacing a worn-down heat pump.
Signs Your Heat Pump Isn’t Heating Your Home Well
One of the most common calls we get for heat pumps is when they’re not producing enough heat. You’d think this would be an obvious thing to recognize, especially in Colorado! However, these signs can be subtle. Have you experienced any of the following issues this winter?
- Cold pockets around the house or rooms that don’t seem to get warm enough
- Lukewarm air coming from the vents
- Hot air coming from the vents but the airflow is weak
- The home isn’t reaching optimal temperature or takes forever to reach it
- Increased heating bills with no apparent cause such as increased usage
- Short cycling (the heat pump can’t complete a full heating cycle)
Perhaps you’ve been making do with lackluster heating by putting on extra layers of clothing, drinking a lot of hot tea, and taking a lot of hot baths. But you shouldn’t have to put up with poor performance from your heat pump.
These issues can be attributed to a number of possible causes such as a broken thermostat, a bad compressor, a dirty air filter, or low refrigerant levels. Our professional technicians can get to the root of the problem and fix it so you won’t have to put up with insufficient heating.
When To Repair and When To Replace
The first thing a professional HVAC technician considers when deciding if it’s better to repair or replace a heat pump is the age of the system. This is the biggest indicator of how long it’ll last. A heat pump’s lifespan is 10-15 years although they’ve been known to last longer. However, heat pumps that have been regularly repaired and maintained are the ones that’ll enjoy long lives of service.
If your heat pump is in the middle or tail end of this range, there’s an easy way to determine if it should be repaired or replaced. Just follow the 5,000 rule. Multiply the cost of a repair by how old your heat pump is in years. For example, if the repair is $800 and your heat pump is 5 years old, $800 multiplied by 5 is 4,000. Because 4,000 is less than 5,000, you’re better off getting it repaired.
You can always count on our team to provide you with an honest appraisal of your heat pump’s condition. Don’t suffer through the rest of the winter with lackluster performance–you deserve the best in home comfort.
Robbins Heating & Air Conditioning serves Colorado Springs and the surrounding area. Contact us today to schedule heat pump service.
