Premier Climate Care is based in Farmingdale NJ and serves Monmouth and Ocean counties, as well as the Shore communities. Winter or Summer, our HVAC technicians are standing by to service, repair or replace any HVAC unit.

One problem we see a lot of during winter storms is faulty defrost cycles. A heat pump works by blowing air across a coil that has refrigerant in it. When it is cold out, the coil is colder than the air surrounding it. Air is forced through the coil, transferring the heat to the coil. This works great until the outdoor temperature is below 35, then the heat pump struggles. Every heat pump goes through defrost cycles to keep the coils from freezing up. The heat pump reverses direction and warms up the coils to melt any frost or ice off of them. If you find that your heat pump seems to not work well for periods of time during cold weather, this is what’s happening. When the defrost cycle is done, your heat pump will go back to work trying to heat your home.

Trouble happens when this cycle either doesn’t’ happen or isn’t working efficiently and ice builds up on the coils. This can happen during a blizzard or ice storm when the environment is adding ice or snow to the load that the defrost cycle is working to clear. When this happens your heat pump will fail to heat your home.

If you can get out to the heat pump during a storm and gently (very gently) remove any accumulated ice or snow from the unit, you will minimize the chances of your heat pump failing. Shovel away any snow that has blown against the unit, diminishing the air flow.

If you’ve removed any ice and it’s still not working, give us a call. We provide 24/7 emergency service. Don’t be cold! Call Premier Climate Care!