Heat Pump Repair in Southaven, MS
Homes here need heat from November through March and cooling from May through September. If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers DeSoto County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Ten months of work a year in Southaven
Your heat pump runs almost the whole year here. Heat from November through March, cooling from May through September, only a couple of months where it gets to rest. That schedule wears on the compressor and the reversing valve before their time, since neither one gets much of a break.
Winter nights averaging 34°F mean the system spends real time in defrost, switching modes to melt frost off the outdoor coil. That switching is hard on the reversing valve, and one that sticks will leave you with a house blowing cold air when you asked for heat. DeSoto County has seen 14 winter storms and 50 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and the outdoor unit sits right in that weather. A power interruption during a storm can knock it out until someone resets it.
- 5 months
- November through March, your system heats
- 5 months
- May through September, it cools
- 34°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 90°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Mississippi requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The state license covers the contractor. It is not issued job by job, so the same license stands behind this repair as behind any other work that contractor takes on.
A heat pump repair means opening the refrigerant side of the system, and that requires EPA Section 608 certification, a federal rule that applies in every state. In DeSoto County, that leaves the state license on the contractor and the federal certification on whoever handles the refrigerant.
Source: Mississippi State Board of Contractors
- Why is my heat pump blowing cold air?
- In heating mode, a heat pump puts out air that feels cooler than a gas furnace, even when it is working right, because it moves heat rather than burning fuel to make it. If the air feels cold rather than just cool, check that the thermostat is set to heat and not fan only, and that the outdoor unit is running. On nights near 34°F, the system may also run a defrost cycle, and it will blow cold air for a few minutes during that. If it stays cold and the house is not warming up, the system may be low on refrigerant or the reversing valve may be stuck, and that needs a contractor to check.
- Why is there ice on my heat pump?
- Some frost on the outdoor coil during a defrost cycle is normal, especially on cold nights, and it should clear within an hour or so. If the coil stays covered in thick ice, or ice builds up on the ground or the lines around the unit, something is wrong. Low refrigerant, a failed defrost control, or a fan that is not turning can all keep the coil from shedding ice on its own. Running the unit with heavy ice on it can damage the compressor, so it is worth having a contractor look at it before the next cold stretch.
- Why is my heat pump running but not cooling?
- If the outdoor unit and indoor blower are both running but the house is not cooling, the most common causes are low refrigerant, a dirty filter cutting off airflow, or ice on the outdoor coil. On a 90°F afternoon, a system that is low on refrigerant will struggle the most, since it has the least reserve to work with. Check the filter first, since a clogged one can starve the system of airflow on its own. If the filter is clean and the unit still is not cooling, the refrigerant charge or the compressor likely need a contractor's attention.