Heat Pump Repair in San Jose, CA
Homes here need heat from November through May and cooling from July through September. If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Santa Clara County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Your heat pump works most of the year here
San Jose asks a heat pump to run ten months out of the year, heating from November through May and cooling from July through September. That is not a system that gets much rest. It cycles on nights that average 39°F and afternoons that average 82°F, and the parts that start it up carry that load again and again.
Most homes here still heat with gas, so the heat pump often works the cooling season alone. When it stops keeping up, it is usually the same story. It runs but the air is not warm enough, or not cold enough, or it short cycles instead of holding steady. Power does go out here. When it comes back, the system should restart on its own. If yours does not, that is worth a look.
- 7 months
- November through May, your system heats
- 3 months
- July through September, it cools
- 39°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 82°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
California requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The Contractors State License Board licenses HVAC contractors in California, and that license belongs to the contractor, not to any single job. It covers the business you hire, not a particular repair.
A heat pump repair means opening the refrigerant side of the system, and that work needs its own credential no matter where you live. Federal law requires EPA Section 608 certification for anyone who handles refrigerant. In California, the technician working on your heat pump should carry that federal certification along with the state contractor license.
Sources: California Legislative Counsel · Contractors State License Board
- Why is my heat pump blowing cold air?
- In heating mode, a heat pump moves air that feels cool even when it's working right, because it's warmer than the room, not hot like a furnace. If the air coming out is actually cold, the system may be stuck in defrost or the reversing valve isn't switching modes the way it should. Low refrigerant will also make it run without producing real heat. A contractor can check the reversing valve and refrigerant charge to find which one it is.
- Why is there ice on my heat pump?
- Some frost on the outdoor unit during winter is normal. Your heat pump should melt it off on its own through a defrost cycle every so often. If ice is building up faster than it clears, or covers the coil heavily, something is stopping that cycle, like a failed defrost sensor or a fan that isn't moving air across the coil. Left alone, heavy ice blocks airflow and the unit can't pull heat from outside air the way it needs to.
- Why is my heat pump running but not cooling?
- If the unit is running but the air isn't cool, the most common cause is low refrigerant from a leak, since the system can't absorb heat from indoor air without enough of it. A dirty outdoor coil that can't shed heat, or a compressor that isn't building pressure, will cause the same thing. On a hot afternoon here, a struggling system falls behind fast. A contractor will need to check the charge and the compressor to find the actual cause.