Heat pumps are excellent heating and cooling appliances for your home. But when the fan in your heat pump stops turning, you may think that you'll need to make major repairs to restart it. That may not be true. A number of things can make the fan quit, including power surges and foreign objects. Here's what you can do to troubleshoot and possibly restart your heat pump's fan.
Check the Power
The first and most important step in troubleshooting the fan is to see if the heat pump has power. Sometimes, electrical surges in the house can turn off the breaker box or heat pump's outdoor power unit. These sources of power are designed to handle huge amounts of electricity but can trip or stall when you overload them with too many appliances.
In addition, once the outdoor temperatures soar in the summer, the home's electrical systems will need to work overtime to power the heat pump. If this happens, your heat pump can overheat from exhaustion. As a result, the fan stops working.
To see if the above issues are the reasons the heat pump's fan stopped turning, follow these steps below:
Troubleshoot Breaker Box
Your heat pump's main power supply is located in the breaker box. The system is usually operated by one large double-switch. If the switch faces the off side, or is in the off position, change it back to the on position.
If the outdoor unit isn't receiving power, resetting the breaker switch may turn the fan back on. However, if the fan doesn't restart, you need to check the unit's outdoor power source.
Check the Outdoor Power Source
The outdoor power source is located in a small box on the outside of the home near the heat pump. You'll need to open the covering to find the power switch, which looks like a light switch.
If the switch is placed in the bottom position, it's off. Flip the switch upward and wait to see if the fan restarts.
If the fan doesn't restart right away, place the power back into the off position. You don't want the fan to inadvertently restart and harm you when you do the following troubleshooting steps:
After you complete the steps above, turn the power switch to on and wait a few seconds. The fan should slowly begin to rotate until it reaches full power.
If the fan doesn't resume circulation, contact an HVAC contractor, such as Pride Mechanical Heating and AC, right away. There could be other issues, such as a blown motor or bad compressor, inside the heat pump.
Share12 June 2015
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