Heat Pump Repair in Riverside, CA
Homes here need heat from November through March and cooling from April through October. If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Riverside County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Riverside County runs your heat pump almost year round
Your heat pump works through 99°F summer afternoons and winter nights that average 42°F. That is twelve months of runtime, with only short breaks in spring and fall. The compressor and the outdoor fan see more hours of work here than they would somewhere with a real off season.
Heat that constant shows up first as a system that struggles to keep up on the hottest afternoons, or short cycles instead of running steady. Riverside County has also logged 409 damaging wind events and 34 winter storms over the last ten years, and power interruptions come with that. Most heat pumps restart on their own once power is back, but a unit that was already straining before the outage is more likely to trip off again.
- 5 months
- November through March, your system heats
- 7 months
- April through October, it cools
- 42°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 99°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
California requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
That license is issued to the contractor, not to the job, so it is the business taking on your repair that holds it, not this particular heat pump. The Contractors State License Board is the one that licenses HVAC contractors in California.
For a heat pump repair, that license is what the contractor answers to the state under. It does not by itself cover the refrigerant work a heat pump repair usually involves. Anyone opening the refrigerant side of the system, here or in any other state, has to hold EPA Section 608 certification, a federal rule that stands apart from the state license.
Sources: California Legislative Counsel · Contractors State License Board
- Why is my heat pump blowing cold air?
- In heating mode, a heat pump moves warm air through your vents at a lower temperature than a furnace does, so it can feel cool against your skin even when it is working right. If the air feels truly cold, not just mild, check that your thermostat is set to heat and not fan only. A dirty filter or a low refrigerant charge can also keep the unit from pulling enough heat out of the outside air. If the outdoor unit looks frozen or the air stays cold at the vent for more than a few minutes, that points to a problem a contractor needs to look at.
- Why is there ice on my heat pump?
- Some frost on the outdoor coil during a cold snap is normal, and your heat pump should clear it on its own with a defrost cycle every so often. Heavy ice that does not go away means something is blocking that cycle. Low refrigerant, a failed defrost sensor, or a fan motor that is not turning can all leave the coil unable to shed frost. With winter lows here averaging 42°F, this is more likely to show up on the coldest nights, and a contractor should check the defrost board and refrigerant level.
- Why is my heat pump running but not cooling?
- If the unit is running but the air coming out is not cold, the most common cause is refrigerant that has leaked out or a compressor that has stopped doing its job. Check the outdoor unit for a coil packed with dirt or leaves, since restricted airflow across it will also cut cooling. A clogged filter has the same effect from the inside. On a 99°F afternoon, a heat pump that is low on refrigerant may run constantly and still lose ground, and that calls for a contractor to find the leak rather than just add refrigerant.