Heat Pump Repair in Hillsboro, OR
If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Washington County will get in touch.
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Nine months of work, most of it in the cold
Your heat pump runs from October through June here. That is nine months of the year it has to work, most of them with winter nights averaging 34°F. At that temperature the unit runs long cycles and leans on its defrost cycle to keep the outdoor coil clear of frost. A defrost control board or reversing valve that is starting to fail shows up first on the coldest nights, when the system needs them most.
Half the homes in this area heat with gas, which means the other half count on their heat pump alone through those cold months. When it stops working on a 34°F night, there is no backup keeping the house warm.
- 9 months
- October through June, your system heats
- 34°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 76°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
Oregon requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The Construction Contractors Board licenses the contractor, not each job. That license stays with the business across every project it takes on, so the record belongs to the company you hire, not to this one repair. Oregon does carve out an exception for small jobs. Work under $1,000 does not need a licensed contractor.
Repairing a heat pump means opening the refrigerant side of the system. That requires EPA Section 608 certification, and it applies in every state, not just Oregon. So on this job the state license covers the company doing the work, and the federal certification covers whoever handles the refrigerant itself.
Source: Oregon Legislative Assembly
- Why is my heat pump blowing cold air?
- In heat mode, air from a heat pump is naturally cooler than what a furnace puts out, often around body temperature, so it can feel cold even when it's working right. If the air feels truly cold, not just cool, check that the outdoor unit is running and not iced over. A dirty filter or a low refrigerant charge can also cut the heat output enough that the air stops feeling warm at all. If the outdoor unit isn't running, or you hear it trying and failing to start, that points to an electrical or compressor problem a contractor needs to look at.
- Why is there ice on my heat pump?
- Some frost on the outdoor unit in winter is normal. Your heat pump pulls heat from the outside air, and that process cools the coil below freezing, so moisture in the air lands on it as frost. It should melt off on its own through a defrost cycle every couple of hours. If instead you're seeing thick ice building up and staying, or ice on the refrigerant lines, that means the defrost cycle isn't working or something is blocking normal airflow, like leaves or snow packed against the unit. Clear away any debris you can reach safely, and if the ice keeps building back up, have a contractor check the defrost control and the coil.
- Why is my heat pump running but not cooling?
- Homes here rarely need cooling at all, since summer afternoons average around 76°F, so a heat pump running without cooling is more likely a sign of trouble than a hot day. Start with the filter. A clogged one chokes off airflow across the indoor coil and can stop cool air from reaching the house even while the outdoor unit runs fine. If the filter is clean, check that the outdoor unit's fan is actually spinning and the coil isn't caked with dirt or ice. If both look normal and you still get no cooling, the system is likely low on refrigerant or has a failing component, and that needs a contractor with EPA 608 certification to open the refrigerant side and find out.