Heat Pumps · 4 min read
Common Heat Pump Problems During Ontario Winters
Icing, defrost faults and weak heat — what cold-weather heat pump symptoms usually mean.
Some frost on an outdoor coil in winter is normal; a unit encased in ice is not. Heat pumps run a defrost cycle to clear the coil, and a defrost sensor, control or drainage fault will let ice build instead.
Weak heat on very cold days may mean the system is operating at the edge of its capacity and the backup heat is not coordinating correctly. That is a control and setup issue as much as an equipment one.
A heat pump stuck in one mode, or blowing cool air on a heating call, often points to the reversing valve or its control circuit and should be tested rather than repeatedly reset.
Outdoor placement plays a role too: snow drift, blocked airflow around the unit and poor drainage underneath all make winter performance worse and are usually straightforward to correct.
Questions about your own system? Call Thermetix Mechanical Inc. at 647-227-1214 or request service.