Heat Pump Repair in McComb, MS
Homes here need heat from November through March and cooling from May through October. If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Pike County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Eleven months of runtime wears on a heat pump here
McComb only gives a heat pump a few weeks off a year. It runs November through March to keep the house warm, then May through October to keep it cool. Summer afternoons averaging 91°F push the compressor hard for six straight months, and winter nights averaging 40°F keep it working the rest of the year, just heating instead of cooling.
That much runtime wears on the compressor and the fan motor, the parts that rarely get to rest. Pike County also sees its share of damaging wind, and the outdoor unit sits right in the open for it. You'll notice trouble as weak airflow, a unit that runs but doesn't keep up, or one that won't start at all.
- 5 months
- November through March, your system heats
- 6 months
- May through October, it cools
- 40°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 91°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Mississippi requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
Mississippi issues that license through the State Board of Contractors. It covers the contractor, not each job, so the same license that lets a company repair a furnace across town lets them work on the heat pump at your house.
A heat pump has a refrigerant side, and opening it takes something beyond the state license. Federal law requires anyone who works on that part of the system to hold EPA Section 608 certification. That rule applies in Mississippi and every other state, no matter what the state license covers.
Source: Mississippi State Board of Contractors
- Why is my heat pump blowing cold air?
- In heating mode, a heat pump's air never feels as hot as furnace air, so it can seem cold even when it is working right. If the air is actually cold or barely warm, check that the thermostat is set to heat and not fan only, and check the filter, since a clogged one chokes airflow across the coil. If those are fine, the system may be low on refrigerant or stuck in defrost, and that calls for a licensed contractor to check, since opening the refrigerant side legally requires EPA 608 certification.
- Why is there ice on my heat pump?
- A thin layer of frost during a defrost cycle is normal on a cold morning, but thick ice that stays for hours is not. It usually means airflow is blocked, either by a dirty filter, a coil packed with debris, or a fan that has stopped turning. It can also mean the refrigerant charge is off, which needs a licensed contractor to check. Do not chip the ice off. Turn the system off and let it thaw, then call for service if it builds back up.
- Why is my heat pump running but not cooling?
- If the outdoor unit is running but the house is not cooling, start with the filter and the outdoor coil, since blocked airflow on either side stops heat from moving. Check that nothing is piled against the outdoor unit and that the fan is actually spinning. If both look clear and the air still is not cooling, the system is likely low on refrigerant, and finding and fixing that leak needs a contractor licensed to work on the refrigerant side.