Castle Shannon HP Diagnostic

When Your Heat Pump Isn't Working in Castle Shannon

Castle Shannon's steep-lot brick homes put different demands on a heating system than a stock spec sheet accounts for. Guessing at what's failed wastes money and often makes the real problem worse. Our heat pump diagnostic finds the actual cause before we quote a repair, whether the call comes from central Castle Shannon or the outer neighborhoods.

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.

Straight Answers, Then Repair

You get a written explanation of what's wrong on your heat pump, why it's wrong, and what the repair options look like — including cost trade-offs. No pressure sale, no vague guesses. Book a heat pump diagnostic in Castle Shannon.