Heat Pump Frozen Outside

When this becomes an emergency

• The outdoor cabinet is encased in solid ice instead of a thin layer of frost.
• Supply air indoors has gone weak or lukewarm during long cold runs.
• The outdoor fan is clattering or stalling against built-up ice.
• Ice at the base of the unit survives from one day to the next.

What a pro does

Light frost during a defrost cycle is ordinary. A solid casing of ice isn't, and the causes worth checking are a defrost control that's stopped commanding a cycle, a sensor reading the coil wrong, a charge that's drifted low, or a fan motor turning slowly enough that the coil never gets the airflow it needs. Damp air here is the aggravating factor. Long grey stretches near freezing load a coil with far more moisture than dry cold does, so the technician also looks at where the unit sits, whether roof runoff drips onto it, and whether snow has drifted against the sides. Prying ice off with a tool bends fins and creates a second problem.

Frequently asked questions

Heat Pump Frozen Outside?

Get connected with a local pro now.

Keep going