It’s normal to see some ice or snow on the outdoor unit of your heat pump during winter in Taneytown, MD. But if there’s excessive snow or ice on your unit, that could cause problems. Here are four reasons why you need to keep snow and ice off your heat pump’s outdoor unit.
1. It Can Block Air From Reaching the Heat Pump
Your heat pump works by moving heat in air from one point to the other. To do this, air needs to be able to reach the evaporator coil for it to absorb heat and then transfer it indoors. If there is ice or snow around it, air won’t be able to reach the evaporator coil for this to happen.
2. High Energy Bills
Any equipment that works harder than it needs to will use more energy than should be required. Since your heat pump has to force air to get in and out of the unit, it will use more energy in the effort to maintain warm temperatures inside your home. Moreover, your heat pump will run for a long time because there is no adequate flow of air for the outside unit.
3. It’ll Wear Out Quickly
The efficiency of your heat pump is greatly impacted when snow and ice are covering all four sides of the outdoor unit. Besides using excessive amounts of energy, the running parts will work harder to maintain the indoor temperatures you desire. Such strain will reduce the life of your heat pump, or it will break down more often.
4. It Can Be Expensive
It follows that when parts of your heat pump are working harder than they should, they will easily break down. Constant repairs can get to be extremely costly in a hurry, and they may get to a point where you need to replace the system entirely.
Call Siegman Forced Air Systems, Inc. when you notice that snow and ice are persistent on your outdoor unit. Our experienced technicians offer responsive HVAC services at competitive rates to help you maintain a comfortable indoor environment.
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