While this may seem like an issue, your heat pump can usually heat your home just fine, but when it’s extremely cold out (below 30 degrees), it just takes your system a little longer to do so. Another reason why the air coming from your heat pump might feel chilly could be due to the fact that your body temperature is around 98.6°F and heat pumps blow air that is a temperature below that. If it’s dirty, change it! I’m renting the house and it came with the nest. Press J to jump to the feed. That includes electrical problems such as bad compressor contactor. Broken reversing valve: As the name suggests, the reversing valve allows the heat pump to work as both a heater and an air conditioner by reversing the direction of the refrigerant. Still Have a Heater that is Blowing Cold Air? Generally speaking, a heat pump will produce air that is about 55 degrees warmer than the outside air. But when it does, having your heat pump blow cold air is the last thing you need. Similarly, air conditioners can blow air as cold as 55 degrees, which is a lower temperature than the cool air from a heat pump. The air coming from your supply vent should be anywhere from 15-30 degrees hotter than the air near your return vent (depending on how cold it is outside). Plus, the colder it gets outside, the lower the temperature of the air a heat pump can produce. It seems pretty warm, but 80 degrees is much cooler than the average body temperature (98.6 degrees Fahrenheit) and could feel like cold air blowing into the home. Off topic here, but did you drop your Nest thermostat? There are a few reasons your heat pump could be blowing cold air. Alt heat means the heat pump is turned off and the other source (usually gas furnace) is asked to heat. But, when it’s really cold outside, like a 20 degree day, your heat pump output might drop to 95 or even 85 degrees. The nest seems to blow warm air normally but once it switches to alternative heat source, then it starts blowing cold air. Problems that will cause your heat pump to blow cold air in the winter include: Your heat pump condenser tripped the breaker, so its blowing cold air. Think you may have an issue with your heat pump and want a skilled professional to take a look? … What you might have is heat strips in your AC unit rather than a heat pump and in that case you would get heat. Size is not a matter of preference. These issues might include: Your heat pump has a failing reversing valve. Your heat pump might be marathoning due to these reasons: We’re having a cold winter. Emergency Heat, also known as “auxiliary heat”, is the second stage of heat that your thermostat runs on when the temperature is too cold for your heat pump to extract heat from the outside. The furnace has a difficult time generating heat if there isn’t enough airflow into the unit. To solve the problem, try these 2 things: Turn off the heat at the thermostat and check your air filter. some systems have the wires 'crossed'. If you want to learn more about the heat pump defrost cycle, check out our blog, “Heat Pump Defrost Cycle”. Literally a wire was in the wrong hole. Is the Pilot Light lit? Home; Invest a few dollars in new high-quality air filters before you try anything else. It will also need to be replaced by a technician. To fix this, you’ll need to contact a technician and have them take a look at your system. Get up-to-date current news, promotions and industry tips. Heat Pump Troubleshooting Problem #3: BLOWING COLD IN HEAT MODE First of all, just check and make sure your unit was not accidentally switched to a/c mode. Set the thermostat to cool mode, a few degrees below your room’s temperature, so the thermostat calls for cooling. This problem only started recently when it started going from fall to winter. Furnaces tend to put out about 130 to 140 degree air. If so, your heat pump is likely in defrost mode and you don’t need to call a technician. If the heat pump isn’t working at all but the air handler and blower are working fine, then the device will simply blow cold air from outside or possibly even just recycled cold air from inside. When set to on, your heat pump will blow air whether it’s heated air or not. Refrigerant is the substance that absorbs heat from the air outside and draws that heat into your home. May be something as simple as a switch or breaker is turned off. A pro will need to repair the leak as well as refill your refrigerant. If it gets too cold outside, your heat pump’s outdoor unit may freeze, causing your system to go into defrost mode. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. So what’s defrost mode? After installing the Nest Thermostat, my system seems to be having trouble calling for Auxiliary Heat. If your thermostat looks like this, make sure you change it to HEAT. The nest seems to blow warm air normally but once it switches to alternative heat source, then it starts blowing cold air. This setting should be set to AUTO, not ON. Do you use propane for back up heat? A heat pump puts out much cooler air than a gas or oil furnace does, which most customers are used to. To make sure that your heat pump is actually blowing cold air, … Well, heat pumps actually heat your home by absorbing heat from the air outside, drawing that heat inside, and using that heat to warm up your home’s air. It’s Defrosting. When in defrost mode, your heat pump starts transferring heat out of your home (towards your outdoor unit) instead of transferring heat inside your home. And, in cold weather, heat pumps tend to blow warm air out at 95°F. Thermostat said cool but was wired to heat. But heat pumps also have one huge benefit that furnaces lack: Save 10% when you book service online. Join our email newsletter. Not sure the - Answered by a verified HVAC Technician We use cookies to give you the best possible experience on our website. Mon - Sun 7am to 10pm 24 Hour Emergency Service Contact Us. The colder it gets outside, the less heat your heat pump can absorb from outside, and the lower the temperature your heat pump produces. This happened to me. My Heat Pump is Blowing Cold Air in “Heat” Mode! Came home to a house at 108 degrees after a weekend visiting friends. When set to AUTO, your heat pump will only blow air when it’s heated. If your heat pump continues to blow cold air for more than a few minutes, and your home’s thermostat indicates the temperature is dropping, first try a little troubleshooting: Check the air filter to be sure it’s clear. Check It’s Size. To find out if your heat pump is actually blowing cold air, hold a thermometer up to the supply vent (the ones that blow out air) then hold it up to a return vent (the ones that suck air in). The “HEAT” setting will cause your heat pump to operate in heating mode and blow warm air instead, but only if there is a call from the thermostat. George Brazil Air Conditioning and Heating provides the Phoenix area with, body’s average temperature is around 98 degrees, Your heat pump is fine, you just think your heat pump is blowing “cold” air, Your heat pump is actually blowing cold air, in which case there is likely an issue with your system, Thermostat accidentally set to “cool” mode. Do you know what setting it is to change? One such issue is when the heat pump seems to be blowing out cold air even while in heating mode, which is likely to make them start fiddling with the thermostat in hopes of fixing the perceived problem. By using our Services or clicking I agree, you agree to our use of cookies. Once your outdoor unit has defrosted, your heat pump will return to transferring heat into your home rather than to your outdoor unit. YOUR. Damaged Ducts. 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