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906 Heating
Heating · Michigan

Heat Pump Frozen Outside

A heat pump locked in ice loses capacity every hour it keeps running that way, so call before the backup heat is the only thing left working.

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When this becomes an emergency

What a pro does

Frost on an outdoor coil is expected; a solid casing of ice isn't. The technician first separates a defrost problem from a snow problem, because a unit sitting low in a yard that gets buried repeatedly will ice for reasons no control board can fix, and raising it on a taller stand or clearing a wider perimeter solves what a parts swap never would. Then the controls get tested. Defrost boards, coil sensors and reversing valves each fail in ways that let frost accumulate faster than the cycle can shed it, and a low refrigerant charge produces the same picture while also starving output, which is why measured pressures beat guesswork on a system that has to earn its keep through a long freeze.

Frequently asked questions

Yes, keeping the cabinet and the space above it clear helps a great deal, since a unit walled in by drifted snow can't move the air it needs and can't shed meltwater during defrost.
Turn the system off at the thermostat and leave it. In this climate the ice reforms quickly anyway, and the aluminium fins on the coil bend under almost anything used to clear them.
An iced coil can't absorb heat from outdoor air, so output drops and the backup heat source picks up the difference, which shows up as lukewarm air and higher electric use.
It matters a great deal where snow piles deep and stays for months. Extra height keeps the coil above accumulation and out of the meltwater that refreezes around the base.

Heat Pump Frozen Outside?

Get connected with a local pro now.

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