How a Heat Pump Works

Heating systems are an essential feature of any home, especially in the winter. Even though Florida doesn’t get as cold as states located further north, the weather can still become pretty chilly. If you want to keep your family warm and cozy during this season, it’s best to have a heat pump installed in your home.

A heat pump is a device that helps you manage the internal temperature of your house by transferring heat either inside or outside of the space. Read on to learn about the reversible heat pump defrost cycle and basic heat transfer process.

The Heat Transfer Process

Reversible heat pumps have a heating and cooling mode. Once you have changed your heat pump settings to heating mode, heat pumps transfer heat by circulating a substance called refrigerant through a cycle of evaporation and condensation. A compressor pumps the refrigerant between two heat exchanger coils. In one coil, the refrigerant is evaporated at low pressure and absorbs heat from its surroundings.

The heated liquid flows through insulated refrigerant pipes into the condenser coils located in the indoor unit. A fan blows air over the coils, releasing the heat into your home and bringing down the temperature of the refrigerant. The liquid is then circled back to the outdoor unit to begin the heating process again.

The Defrosting Process

There are times when the outdoor unit ends up developing frost around its coils in winter. This is mainly caused by the drop in temperature around the evaporator as it absorbs the heat in the air. This process ends up forming ice around the coils when coupled with chilly weather.

Most heat pumps have a defrosting cycle for their outdoor unit because of this phenomenon. Many modern systems automatically switch to the heat pump defrost cycle when they detect frost on the coils. The machine will reverse the flow of the refrigerant, bringing the hot refrigerant into the outdoor unit, which then melts any condensation.

Reach out to A Plus Air Conditioning and Refrigeration

Get in touch with A Plus Air Conditioning and Refrigeration in Gainesville, Florida if you need heat pump installation or repair services. Our HVAC and refrigeration company can even help you fix your system when your heat pump is not defrosting properly.