If you carry a heat pump in your home, then you will probably notice, that during the summer, the outdoor unit runs by blowing hot air out of the house to cool it. However, during the winter time, when it’s cold, the outdoor unit is still running, when you turn the heat on. This may be a bit perplexing when you think about it, however, here are a few tips, that can assist you with understanding, how a heat pump works.
Heat Pump Advice
A heat pump is primarily comprised of two units, an outdoor unit and an indoor unit. These units are both connected by a refrigerant line, that runs between them. This line terminates in a coil, in each, separate, unit. When the system is on, the coil in one unit, is evaporating refrigerant inside, while the coil in the other unit, is condensing the refrigerant and converting it back to a liquid.
After the refrigerant is evaporated inside, one of the coils, then extracts heat from the surrounding air and into the coil itself, where it is stored in the gaseous refrigerant. The refrigerant gas then travels to the other unit, where the coil condenses it back into a liquid. This releases the heat from the refrigerant and back, into the air.
Keeping up with the technicalities, of the systems within your home, can surely be a tedious task and most times, people are generally unaware,of the mechanics of such systems. As mentioned before, it can be a little mind- boggling, as to why the outdoor unit of your heat pump is still running during winter. Here’s a simplified tip, to help you understand ;
When you turn on the heat, the outdoor unit becomes the one, that evaporates the refrigerant to pull heat from the outside air. The indoor unit then condenses it and releases heat into the house. The heating pump can work in both, a heating and a cooling capacity and depending on the mode selected, the pump functions to facilitate that particular choice.
With that said, the only difference with the way in which a heat pump functions, is the direction in which the refrigerant moves, throughout the system. So don’t be alarmed , if you see the outdoor unit of your heat pump, running during the winter, this is perfectly normal, as it’s doing exactly what it’s supposed to do. Contact us for more information.