Heat Pump Repair in Dallas, OR
If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Polk County will get in touch.
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Nine months of heating wears on a heat pump here
Your heat pump runs from October through June in Polk County, nine months of the year. Winter nights average 35°F, and the colder the air outside, the harder the compressor has to work to pull heat from it. That long stretch of cold-weather operation puts more wear on the compressor and its parts than the short summer ever does.
More than half the homes here heat with electricity, so the heat pump is often the only thing keeping the house warm. It also depends on power to run at all, and a fifth of Oregon households went at least a day without it in 2024. If yours is running longer than it used to on a cold night, or cycling on and off instead of holding steady, that is nine months of work showing up in how it runs.
- 9 months
- October through June, your system heats
- 35°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 77°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
Oregon requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
Oregon licenses HVAC contractors through the Construction Contractors Board. That license belongs to the contractor, not to your repair, so it means the state has tested this contractor and keeps a record of them, not that each job gets separately signed off. Work under $1,000 does not need a licensed contractor in Oregon, so a small heat pump repair can fall under that threshold.
If the repair involves opening the refrigerant side of your heat pump, which most repairs do, the technician has to hold EPA Section 608 certification. That is a federal requirement, separate from the Oregon license, and it applies whether or not your job is large enough to need a licensed contractor.
Source: Oregon Legislative Assembly
- Why is my heat pump blowing cold air?
- In heating mode, air from a heat pump feels cool against your skin even when the system is working right, because it is well below body temperature. If the air feels truly cold, not just cool, the problem is usually in the outdoor unit. Low refrigerant, a reversing valve stuck in cooling mode, or a compressor that has stopped running while the fan keeps blowing can all cause it. A contractor will need to check refrigerant levels and the reversing valve to find which one it is.
- Why is there ice on my heat pump?
- Some frost on the outdoor unit in cold weather is normal, and the system should clear it on its own through a defrost cycle every so often. Winter nights here average 35°F, cold enough for this to happen often. Heavy ice that stays, especially covering the coil or fan, means the defrost cycle is not running or airflow is blocked. Low refrigerant, a failing defrost control board, or a blower not moving enough air can all be the cause. Do not chip the ice off yourself. Turn the system off and have a contractor look at it, since running it iced over can damage the compressor.
- Why is my heat pump running but not cooling?
- If the outdoor unit is running but no cool air comes through the vents, check the air filter first. A clogged filter can choke off airflow enough that the coil freezes and stops cooling. If the filter is clean and it is still not cooling, the cause is more likely low refrigerant or a failing compressor. Checking the refrigerant side requires a contractor with EPA 608 certification.