Is this your first winter using a heat pump for comfort? Whether it\u2019s because you had the system installed in the spring to prep for summer, or you\u2019ve moved into a house that already has a heat pump, you\u2019ll probably run into some unusual behavior from it during the winter. Most of the time, there\u2019s nothing wrong with the heat pump\u2014it\u2019s simply that you\u2019re unaccustomed to seeing the way this type of comfort system works in cold weather.<\/p>\n
Here are two specific heat pump winter issues that seem like repair problems\u2026 but aren\u2019t.<\/p>\n
Because a heat pump works similarly to an air conditioner, it\u2019s easy to mistake it for an air conditioner. You don\u2019t expect the outdoor unit of an AC to run during the winter. Only the indoor fan, which is working with the furnace, should be running.<\/p>\n
However, a heat pump needs to have its outdoor unit running in winter in order to heat a house. The outdoor coil draws heat from the air with refrigerant, and the refrigerant then releases the heat indoors. You\u2019ll soon get used to the outdoor unit staying active in the cold weather.<\/p>\n
You can relax: it\u2019s almost certainly not smoke. It\u2019s water vapor. What\u2019s happening is the heat pump is switching over to its defrost cycle. It does this occasionally to eliminate any build-up of ice along the outside coil. Moisture gathers along the coil, and if the temperature is cold enough, it will freeze and block the coil from absorbing heat. The defrost cycle prevents this, and creates the water vapor you\u2019re seeing.<\/p>\n