Relax! This question comes to us R & S Mechanical often from our Residential customers!
Have you noticed times in which your heat pump is producing steam or vapor clouds during the winter heating season? Not to worry; your outdoor heat pump uses what’s called a defrost logic board. That board typically goes into a defrost cycle when the defrost thermostat is closed and the required amount of time has been satisfied. This causes the outdoor fan to stop, reversing valve returns to the cooling position and your auxiliary heat kicks in to temper the air temperature inside your home during this defrost cycle. Once this cycle concludes the outdoor fan comes on again and the reversing valve returns to the heating position, in which you may notice a “swishing” sound. This is due to the coil in the outdoor unit heating up during the defrost period that is meant to melt any ice building up. As the fan draws moist cooler air over the hot coil, this will create the water vapor or cloud that you are noticing. The vapor will stop momentarily as the coil quickly cools as the heat pump returns to the heating mode.
So sit back and relax as this cycle is a normal process and as temps drop down into the 20’s you may notice it less often as colder air retains much less moisture.
Are you a Raleigh resident with heat pump problems? Then give R & S Mechanical a call.(919) 302-8956
If you are experiencing any other symptoms regarding your heat pump please make sure to give us a call! We also offer a range of heating servicing options and heating specials to keep your Heating unit up and running during the cold winter months. Check out our preventative maintenance agreements, Heating tune-ups and heating inspections to keep your Raleigh heating unit up and running all winter long. Don’t wait for a breakdown! R & S Mechanical proudly repairs all major brands of Heating Systems.
