What we did
A heat pump that is not working properly in February needs answers quickly. At this Knifley home, the system was underperforming, so we ran diagnostics on its components to see what was going on.
The testing turned up miswired connections on both the contactor coil and the defrost board. Either of those can keep a heat pump from operating the way it should, and finding both explained a lot. We also found the fan motor was faulty and replaced it. With the wiring issues addressed and a new fan motor installed, the system was set up to run efficiently again, and the repair should go a long way toward restoring its performance.
The defrost board is especially important on a heat pump during a Kentucky winter. When outdoor temperatures drop, frost can build up on the outdoor coil, and the defrost cycle is what clears it so the unit can keep pulling heat from outside air. The contactor and fan motor play their own roles in getting the outdoor unit running. When several of these pieces are off at once, careful diagnostics matter more than guessing at a single part. If your heat pump is not keeping up, we can test the system and find out exactly where the problem lies.
