Heat Pump Not Heating in East Palo Alto

Heat Pump Not Heating in East Palo Alto

A heat pump that will not heat often comes down to the same reversing valve, only stuck in the other direction, or a defrost cycle that never completes and leaves the outdoor coil iced over. Low refrigerant, a failing outdoor fan motor, or a corroded contactor and capacitor can all shut heating down the same way they would shut down cooling. We check mode, defrost, and charge in that order before opening anything mechanical. The detail that matters in East Palo Alto is warmer flatland afternoons and older, budget-grade original equipment.

Local climate and housing age both matter for a heat pump heating call. East Palo Alto sits on the flatland side of the bay, outside the fog belt that cools its Peninsula neighbors, so summer afternoons here run warmer than in Menlo Park or Palo Alto just across the freeway. Most of the housing stock is smaller, single-story homes from the 1950s and 60s, and a lot of it still runs original or budget-grade equipment installed on a tight number. We are straight about what a repair actually costs and when the cheaper fix is the right fix, not just the fastest one to quote.

In East Palo Alto, we check mode, defrost, and refrigerant charge in that order, because a heat pump that won't heat is rarely one single obvious thing. Whatever the sequence turns up goes on a written estimate, and the $99 diagnostic fee is credited toward the repair.

Common causes

Corroded contactor or capacitor on the outdoor unit. The same electrical parts that fail on an AC condenser fail on a heat pump's outdoor unit. A lot of the electrical hardware in older homes here is original equipment, well past the age it would already have been replaced on a newer system. A failed capacitor or a pitted contactor keeps the outdoor unit from running at all.

Stuck reversing valve. A reversing valve stuck in cooling mode leaves the system unable to produce heat no matter what the thermostat calls for. It is one of the first things we rule in or out.

Low refrigerant from a corroded coil or fitting. A leak drops the charge low enough that the system cannot pull adequate heat from the outdoor air, and a corroded fitting is a common leak point. A lot of the electrical hardware in older homes here is original equipment, well past the age it would already have been replaced on a newer system.

Failed defrost control. In cold, damp conditions the outdoor coil ices over and the system has to periodically defrost it. A failed defrost board or sensor leaves the coil frozen solid, which blocks heat transfer entirely.

Seized or failing outdoor fan motor. Without the outdoor fan moving air across the coil, the system cannot pull heat from the outside air efficiently, and a seized motor is a common, testable failure.

How we diagnose it

• Confirm the thermostat is actually calling for heat and the system is in heat-pump mode, not stuck on emergency or off.
• Read line temperatures at the indoor and outdoor coils to tell whether the reversing valve has actually shifted into heating.
• Meter the capacitor and inspect the contactor for wear. A lot of the electrical hardware in older homes here is original equipment, well past the age it would already have been replaced on a newer system.
• Read refrigerant pressures against the outdoor temperature to spot a low charge before chasing the leak.
• Confirm the defrost board initiates a cycle and the outdoor coil is clear of ice.

$99 diagnostic, credited toward the repair. You get a written quote before any work begins.

Heat Pump Not Heating in East Palo Alto: common questions

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Heat Pump Not Heating near East Palo Alto: Palo Alto · Menlo Park .

This is usually a heat pump installation & service in East Palo Alto job. See our heat pump installation & service overview or the East Palo Alto service area.