Heat Pump Repair in Eugene, OR
If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Lane County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Ten months of run time, most nights near freezing
Your heat pump runs from September through June here, ten months out of the year. That is most of the year spent cycling on and off rather than sitting idle, and that stop-start pattern is what wears on the contactor and the run capacitor over time.
Winter nights average 33°F, right at the edge where the outdoor unit needs to defrost itself to keep running. A reversing valve or defrost control that is starting to fail shows up here first, usually as a unit that runs but never gets warm enough, or ice on the coil that does not clear. Lane County has also logged 13 damaging wind events and 4 winter storms over the past ten years, and a fifth of Oregon households lost power for a full day or more in 2024. Most heat pumps restart on their own once power is back, so one that stays off is worth a call.
- 10 months
- September through June, your system heats
- 33°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 75°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 covers the contractor as a business, not each individual job. Work under $1,000 is exempt from needing a licensed contractor in Oregon.
Opening the refrigerant side of a heat pump falls under a federal rule that applies in every state, not just Oregon. Any technician who does that work has to hold EPA Section 608 certification, regardless of what the job costs. On a repair like this, the state license backs the contractor taking on the job, and the federal certification backs whoever is handling the refrigerant itself.
Source: Oregon Legislative Assembly
- Why is my heat pump blowing cold air?
- In heating mode, a heat pump moves warm air through the house at a lower temperature than a furnace would, so it can feel cool against your skin even when it's working right. If the air feels cold rather than just cool, check that the thermostat is set to heat and not fan only, since the fan alone will move room-temperature air. If the outdoor unit is caked in frost or ice, or the system is running nonstop without warming the house, that points to a problem like low refrigerant or a stuck reversing valve, and a contractor will need to check the refrigerant side. Opening that side of the system legally requires EPA Section 608 certification, so this isn't a repair to try yourself.
- Why is there ice on my heat pump?
- Some frost on the outdoor unit during winter is normal. Heat pumps pull heat from outside air even when it's cold, and moisture in that air can freeze on the coil. The unit runs a defrost cycle on its own to clear this, switching briefly into cooling mode to warm the coil and melt the ice, then switching back. With winter lows here averaging 33°F, this cycle runs often through the colder months. Ice becomes a problem when it builds up thick, doesn't clear after a defrost cycle, or covers the unit solid. That usually means low refrigerant, a failed defrost control, or a fan that isn't moving air across the coil, and it needs a contractor to sort out which one.
- Why is my heat pump running but not cooling?
- Homes in Eugene rarely need cooling, with summer afternoons averaging around 75°F, so this usually comes up when the system is stuck in the wrong mode or struggling on a hot day rather than failing outright. Start with the thermostat and confirm it's set to cool, not heat or fan only, and check that the filter isn't clogged, since blocked airflow across the coil will keep the house from cooling even with the system running. If the air coming out feels barely different from room temperature and the filter is clean, the system may be low on refrigerant or the outdoor unit's coil may be blocked with debris. A contractor will need to check refrigerant levels, since only someone with EPA Section 608 certification is allowed to open that part of the system.