Heat Pumps
Heat Pump Diagnostic
Heat pump iced over or short of heat? Six Star's diagnostic verifies defrost, reversing valve, cold-ambient charge, and aux heat staging.
When Your Heat Pump Isn't Keeping Up
Heat pumps behave differently in heating than in cooling — a lot of "not working right" complaints in January are actually a defrost or reversing-valve problem, not a low-charge issue. Our heat pump diagnostic separates the real fault from the symptoms so you're not paying to replace a compressor that was fine.
What Our Heat Pump Diagnostic Actually Checks
Defrost cycle operation. A heat pump that's iced over is either failing to defrost or defrosting too often. We watch the defrost cycle from initiation to termination, verify the outdoor coil temperature sensor is reading accurately, and check the defrost board timing. On modern communicating systems we pull the actual defrost history from the outdoor unit control.
Reversing valve function. A stuck or leaking reversing valve is one of the most common heat pump failures — the system will run in one mode fine but under-perform (or refuse) in the other. We check both operating modes, verify the solenoid coil is energizing, and measure temperature split across both sides of the valve.
Refrigerant charge at cold ambient. Heat pump charge is verified differently in heating than cooling — the outdoor coil is now the evaporator, and superheat/subcool numbers move. We take readings at the actual operating conditions and back them into the manufacturer's charge chart, not summer specs.
Auxiliary / emergency heat verification. Electric backup strips or a gas dual-fuel setup are supposed to stage on when the outdoor temperature drops below the balance point (or the compressor can't keep up). We verify staging works, measure current draw on each strip, and check that emergency heat operates independently when needed.
Outdoor unit ice buildup and drainage. Ice at the top of the outdoor unit means the defrost cycle isn't clearing the coil. Ice at the base often means the condensate isn't draining. Same symptom, different cause. We diagnose the root, not the surface.
What You Get
An honest read on whether your heat pump has a repairable fault or an efficiency problem that indicates end-of-life. We'll tell you the trade-offs. Book a heat pump diagnostic today.
Ready When You Are
Schedule service or ask a question — a real person at Six Star is standing by.