Heat Pump Repair in Augusta, GA
Homes here need heat from November through March and cooling from May through September. If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Richmond County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Ten months of work a year, in weather that swings hard
Your heat pump runs almost year round here. It heats from November through March and cools from May through September, leaving only a short break in between. Winter nights average 37°F, cold enough that the system has to pull heat from outside air rather than just move it. Summer afternoons average 91°F, and the unit runs long stretches to keep up.
That kind of duty cycle wears on the reversing valve, the part that switches the system between heating and cooling. It also wears on the defrost control, which clears frost off the outdoor coil on cold nights. When the reversing valve sticks, you will notice warm air blowing when you expect cold, or cold air when you expect heat. When the defrost control fails, ice builds up on the outdoor unit and stays there. Storms are common here too, with 87 damaging wind events recorded over the past ten years. Most heat pumps come back on by themselves once power is restored. If yours does not, that is worth having looked at.
- 5 months
- November through March, your system heats
- 5 months
- May through September, it cools
- 37°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 91°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Georgia requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
Georgia licenses HVAC contractors through the State Construction Industry Licensing Board. That license belongs to the contractor, not to any one job, so the same license that covers a full installation also covers a repair call like this one.
A heat pump repair means opening the refrigerant side of the system, and federal law requires whoever does that to hold EPA Section 608 certification, in every state. In Georgia that certification sits alongside the state license. The license is what the state stands behind for the work itself.
Source: Georgia Secretary of State
- Why is my heat pump blowing cold air?
- In heating mode, a heat pump puts out air that feels cool next to your skin even when it is working right, because the air coming out is warmer than the room but still well below body temperature. If the air is actually cold, not just cool, check that your thermostat is set to heat and not fan only, since fan only mode just moves room air without running the system. If it is set correctly and you still get cold air, the unit may be stuck in defrost or have a problem switching the reversing valve, and that calls for a contractor to look at it.
- Why is there ice on my heat pump?
- Some frost on the outdoor unit during cold weather is normal, and the heat pump should clear it on its own through a defrost cycle. If ice is building up faster than it melts, or you see it covering the coil or fan, something is keeping the unit from defrosting properly. That can be low refrigerant, a fan that is not turning, or a failed defrost control, and it needs a contractor to find which one it is. Do not chip the ice off yourself, since that can damage the coil underneath.
- Why is my heat pump running but not cooling?
- If the outdoor unit and indoor fan are both running but the air is not cold, start with the filter, since a clogged one blocks airflow across the indoor coil and cuts cooling fast. Check that nothing is blocking the outdoor unit too, like grass clippings or debris packed against the coil. On a 91 degree afternoon here, a system already struggling with airflow will fall further behind, so it can look like a bigger problem than it is. If the filter and outdoor unit are clear and it still is not cooling, the refrigerant charge or the compressor itself needs a contractor to check.