Heat Pump Working fine one day and not the next?

[Mr_Accord]

It has been a really hot and humid weekend up here in eastern Canada and my parents have had their central air running most of the time since Friday. Today though I was over and my mother was complaining that the air coming out of the vents wasn't as cold as it should be, the humidity levels were high and not dropping, and that the system had been running for many hours without doing its regular cool down period. Friday when I was there I can confirm the air coming out of the vents was a lot colder and when we were outside every so often you could hear the compressor relieve itself. The HVAC system was installed 3 years ago and the heat pump is a Goodman. Up until this weekend the system has performed flawlessly. Does anyone have an idea of what could be causing this before I have to call a tech and get charged hundreds just to look at it.

Thanks

 

[LargeCarManX2]

Can you see the compressor fan motor turning as the system runs? The compressor motor might be out or electric switches controling them. Either way, a tech will need to fix it.

 

[Mr_Accord]

Originally Posted By: LargeCarManX2
Can you see the compressor fan motor turning as the system runs? The compressor motor might be out or electric switches controling them. Either way, a tech will need to fix it.


You mean the large fan at the top of the pump?

 

[LordAbbett]

Do you mean that the outside unit is still running and the fan still moving air thru the unit but you can hear the compressor shutting down??
If so it may have a hi/lo pressure switch cutting it out. Switch could be bad or freon pressure are off and causing it to trip.

Or it might be defrosting when it shouldn't be
Have u check the filter in the air handler to make sure it can flow enough air?

 

[LordAbbett]

The outside unit is the condenser. Because it removes heat and allows the refrigerant to condense back into liquid (in air cond mode). The condenser fan just moves air thru the condenser. The compressor is the main part of the condenser. Just to clarify

 

[gathermewool]

Low charge causing frozen evap?

 

[earlyre]

This doesn't exactly relate, to your question, just the only thing i think of when people talk about heat pumps.
please feel free to skip my story (below)
had one of those type units in an apt a few yrs back, one blustery cold winters day, we noticed the furnace(all electric), wasn't putting out much heat from the ducts, look out back, the condenser unit is COVERED w/ about an inch of ice.
My Solution, placed a couple "pizza stones"(slabs of oven-able ceramics) in the oven cranked that puppy up to about 500 F, and let it preheat. when hot, i took the "stones" (w/BBQ tongs)and placed on top of ice block/condenser.
as soon as they melted down through to the metal over the fan, the system fired up, and was putting out heat admirably within minutes, and for the rest of the season.

 

[rshaw125]

A heat pump in Canada? why?

 

[LargeCarManX2]

Yes!

 

[Pop_Rivit]

Sometimes parts fail-they'll work one day and the next day it's not working. Call a tech and get it fixed.

Originally Posted By: rshaw125
A heat pump in Canada? why?


Depending on how the system is used a heat pump can deliver heat until the temperature starts getting into the 20's or so. Only then do you need a gas fired furnace to augment the heat. Depending on the utility prices, it can make a lot of sense.

 

[LordAbbett]

Probably down into the 20s the heat pump will work fine as long as you keep the outside unit free of snow. There are now cold weather heat pumps that can really ramp the efficiency in cold temps down -30C