Why does the air from a heat pump feel cooler than a furnace?
A heat pump sends out air that is warm but below body temperature, so a hand held over the register can feel a cool breeze even while the room is warming. It also runs in longer, gentler cycles than a furnace. Both are normal.
On cold, damp days the outdoor unit will pause to defrost its coil. The outdoor fan stops, a cloud of steam may rise from the unit and you may hear a soft whoosh as it switches back. Indoors, the air can feel cooler for a few minutes, or the backup heat may come on. Then it carries on as before. None of this means something has failed.
What is safe to check when the house is not keeping warm?
Start with the thermostat. Make sure it is set to heat, not cool or fan only, and that the setting is where you expect it. Then look at the filter. A clogged filter cuts airflow and makes the system struggle. Check the breakers for both the indoor unit and the outdoor unit.
Next, look at the outdoor unit. Bethany gets a lot of snow: at Peterborough A, the nearest Environment Canada station, the 1981-2010 normals record 151.2 cm a year, with January the snowiest month at 40.0 cm and snow depths of up to 71 cm. A unit buried in a drift cannot draw air. Clear snow from around it and off the top with a broom or by hand. Please do not chip or pry ice off the coil with a shovel or tool, because the fins and refrigerant lines are easy to damage.
If your system has a gas furnace as backup, check its intake and exhaust pipes on the side wall too, and keep them clear of drifts. The Ontario Fire Code requires a working carbon monoxide alarm next to each sleeping area in a home with a fuel-burning appliance, so this is a good moment to test yours.
When is it time to call for a heat pump repair?
Some signs are worth a visit: the outdoor coil stays covered in ice long after a defrost should have cleared it; the outdoor fan does not spin while the unit is running; the air stays cold for long stretches; the backup heat runs nearly all the time on mild days; a breaker trips again after you reset it; or you notice a grinding or rattling noise, a hiss, or an oily patch near the refrigerant lines, which can point to a leak.
These are rarely dangerous. The heat pump itself burns no fuel, so it does not produce carbon monoxide. If the backup heat is keeping the house comfortable, the repair can usually wait for a booked visit. If the backup furnace has stopped as well, see furnace repair for what to check.
Work is performed by 313A refrigeration and air conditioning mechanics. In Ontario, refrigeration and air conditioning work is a compulsory trade, so refrigerant repairs are left to the qualified trade.
Should a Bethany house keep its furnace alongside a heat pump?
A cold-climate heat pump keeps heating well below freezing, but its output drops on the coldest nights. A hybrid set-up lets the heat pump carry most of the season while the furnace takes over in deep cold. For many households here, keeping the furnace as backup is a sensible, low-stress choice.
What suits a house depends on how it was built. Homes in Woodland Hills, Rustlewood Avenue and Country Place usually have high-efficiency furnaces vented through the side wall, and a heat pump can often be added to the existing ducts with the furnace staying on. In the older houses on Glengarry Road and Davis Street, ducts are often squeezed into tight spaces and some rooms never warm evenly; ductless indoor heads can reach those rooms. Main street buildings on Highway 7A, rebuilt after the 1911 fire, often have oversized converted equipment, and if a furnace is retired the old chimney may be left without an appliance, which needs sorting out at the same time.
Where a gas furnace stays as backup, work is performed by TSSA-certified gas technicians, and the gas side is installed to the CSA B149.1 code. For a fuller comparison, read heat pump, high-efficiency furnace or both.
Are there rebates or grants for a heat pump?
Sometimes. Programs open, change and close, so we check what is current when we prepare your price and tell you what appears to apply and what it asks for. Some programs want certain steps done before any work starts, which is a good reason to look before choosing equipment. We will not promise an amount, because the decision rests with the program, not with us.
How does a heat pump visit or installation unfold?
For a repair, the technician confirms what you have noticed, tests the system and shows you what was found. You get a written price and approve it before any part is fitted.
For a new system, there is no rush if your furnace still works. We look at how the house loses heat, the condition of the ducts and whether the electrical panel has room. The outdoor unit goes on a stand or wall bracket high enough to sit above the drifts, away from roof drip lines, with a clear path for defrost water to drain. Some Highway 7A buildings are designated heritage properties, so outside changes such as an outdoor unit or new vents may need to be checked with the municipality first. Keeping it running well afterwards is covered under maintenance.
When you are ready, request a quote or get in touch and tell us what the system is doing.