Heat Pump Repair in Pearl, 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 Rankin County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Pearl asks a lot of a heat pump
Your heat pump works almost the whole year here. It heats from November through March and cools from May through October, which leaves it idle only a few weeks total. That kind of run time adds up on the compressor and the reversing valve, the part that switches the system between heating and cooling.
Winter nights averaging 37°F mean the heat pump often runs in the range where it has to defrost itself to keep the outdoor coil clear. Summer afternoons near 91°F push it hard from the other direction. Almost half of homes here heat with electricity, so when a heat pump stops working right, there is often no backup keeping the house comfortable. Rankin County also sees its share of high wind, and a power interruption during a run cycle can trip a system that was mid-defrost or mid-cycle when it lost power.
- 5 months
- November through March, your system heats
- 6 months
- May through October, it cools
- 37°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.
The Board tests contractors before it licenses them and keeps a record of who holds one. That license belongs to the contractor, not to any single job, so it does not get reissued or checked off each time someone calls one out for a repair.
For a heat pump repair, the license is what stands behind the person doing the work in Mississippi. Because heat pumps run on refrigerant, whoever opens that side of the system also has to hold EPA Section 608 certification, which is a federal requirement in every state and separate from the state license. Between the two, the work is covered both on paper and on the refrigerant itself.
Source: Mississippi State Board of Contractors
- Why is my heat pump blowing cold air?
- In a lot of cases the system is stuck in defrost mode, or it's actually running fine and just moving air that feels cool compared to your skin. But if the air coming out stays cold and never warms up, the problem is usually low refrigerant, a failing reversing valve, or a compressor that isn't kicking on. On a night here in the 30s that's not something to wait out. A contractor licensed by the State Board of Contractors can check the refrigerant charge and the reversing valve, and only someone with EPA Section 608 certification is allowed to open that refrigerant side to fix it.
- Why is there ice on my heat pump?
- Some frost during a winter defrost cycle is normal, and the unit should clear it on its own every hour or so. If the ice stays or keeps building, airflow is blocked somewhere, either the outdoor coil is dirty, a fan motor has failed, or refrigerant is low. Don't chip the ice off yourself. A contractor can find out why the defrost cycle isn't clearing it and fix the actual cause.
- Why is my heat pump running but not cooling?
- The unit is running but not moving heat, which usually means low refrigerant, a blocked outdoor coil, or a compressor that's failing. On a 91°F afternoon here that shows up fast since the system has to work harder to keep the house cool. Check that the outdoor unit isn't blocked by leaves or debris, then have a contractor licensed through the State Board of Contractors diagnose it. If refrigerant is involved, that work has to be done by someone with EPA Section 608 certification.