Heat Pump Frozen Outside

When this becomes an emergency

• The outdoor unit has a solid rind of ice across the whole coil face.
• Meltwater has refrozen into a mound the fan is sitting in.
• Output has dropped off and the backup heat is running most of the time.
• The unit never seems to go through a defrost, even after hours of running.

What a pro does

Ice is normal, and the useful distinction is between ice that clears and ice that accumulates. A technician confirms the defrost cycle actually initiates and completes, checks the coil sensor and the board that call for it, and looks at charge and airflow, since either one being off drops coil temperature and speeds up frosting. Where the unit sits gets real weight in this part of the world. Mounted low on the ground rather than raised on a stand, an outdoor unit spends February sitting in packed snow, and the meltwater from every defrost freezes into the base instead of draining away. Beating the ice off with anything hard usually costs a coil, and that's a repair nobody wanted.

Frequently asked questions

Heat Pump Frozen Outside?

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