Hissing Sounds from Your Heat Pump
The heat pump really is a pretty tough heating system to beat. Even as recently as a few years ago, there was a lot of concern about how heat pumps would handle extremely cold temperatures. Today, there are heat pumps capable of heating down to those frigid temps that they get out in the northeast and the midwest. We don’t have winters like that to deal with, fortunately, so it’s safe to say that a heat pump is going to get you through our cold season effectively and efficiently.
Provided, that is, that your heat pump is in great working condition. Unfortunately, like any other heating system, there is no way in which to guarantee that you’ll never run into trouble with your heat pump. At some point, in fact, it’s all but guaranteed that you’ll need heat pump repairs. Not to worry, though. We offer heat pump repair and maintenance services throughout the Raleigh, NC area. Today, we’ll cover a warning sign of trouble to be aware of.
Is That a Snake?
No, worse—it’s your heat pump! That’s right, you’re hearing your heat pump hissing at you.
Well, okay, but at least it’s still heating my home effectively. I guess it’s nothing to—
Let us stop you right there. We cannot stress this enough.
Not every problem with your heat pump is going to result in an immediate breakdown.
Just because your heat pump is up and running doesn’t mean that it is up and running properly. That hissing sound could be the sound of you wasting money, and it could mean that serious damages are not far off.
So Why Is My Heat Pump Hissing?
Like other forced air heating systems, your heat pump uses air ducts in order to distribute heated air throughout your home. That hissing sound you hear could actually mean that your air ducts are leaking. Depending upon the layout of your air ducts and the location of the leak, it is entirely possible that you are hearing air escaping your ducts. Because most homeowners use heat pumps to take advantage of their great energy efficiency, it should go without saying that you’ll want this problem resolved ASAP!
It could also be a refrigerant leak, though. Refrigerant in your system is working under pressure, and a hissing sound near the outdoor unit could mean that the refrigerant in your system is escaping. That’s majorly bad news, because a refrigerant leak negatively affects heat pumps in a few different ways.
First of all, it makes your system less effective. Refrigerant is the heat transfer fluid in the system, and if you have a refrigerant leak then your heat pump is going to have to work harder than it should in order to heat your home. Worse, though, is the fact that running a heat pump that is low on refrigerant can actually result in irreparable damage to your compressor. That means that you could damage the system beyond repair! Refrigerant leaks need to be pinpointed and sealed promptly to avoid such situations.
Schedule your heat pump repair and maintenance with Raleigh Heating & Air.