Heat Pump Repair in Opelousas, LA
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 St. Landry Parish will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Your heat pump works all year here, with almost no break
In Opelousas your heat pump runs from November through March to keep the house warm, then switches over and runs April through October to cool it. That is all twelve months, and the system barely gets a rest between seasons. Summer afternoons average 91°F, so the compressor is working hard on the cooling side for most of the year, and winter nights average 43°F, mild enough that the heat pump should handle it alone without much strain.
All that switching back and forth puts real wear on the reversing valve, the part that tells the system whether to heat or cool. When it starts sticking, the house blows warm air when you want cold, or the opposite. St. Landry Parish also sees its share of damaging wind, 52 events recorded over the last ten years, along with outages, and a heat pump that loses power and doesn't restart correctly is worth checking rather than assuming it will catch back up on its own.
- 5 months
- November through March, your system heats
- 7 months
- April through October, it cools
- 43°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 91°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Louisiana requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
The Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors issues that license. It covers the contractor as a whole, not the specific job, so the license that let them wire a furnace last month is the same one that lets them work on your heat pump today.
Heat pump repair means opening the refrigerant side of the system, and that takes something beyond the state license. Any technician who touches the refrigerant in your heat pump must hold EPA Section 608 certification, a federal rule that applies in every state. So on this job you want both things in place, the state license that put this contractor on record with Louisiana, and the federal certification that says they are trained to handle refrigerant.
Source: Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors
- Why is my heat pump blowing cold air?
- Your heat pump thinks it is in cooling mode when it should be heating, or it is stuck partway through a defrost cycle. Check the thermostat setting first. If it is set to heat and the air still feels cold, the reversing valve may be stuck, or the unit could be low on refrigerant. Either problem needs a licensed contractor, since only someone with EPA Section 608 certification can open the refrigerant side to check the charge.
- Why is there ice on my heat pump?
- A little frost on the outdoor coil during cold weather is normal, and the unit clears it on its own with a defrost cycle every so often. A thick layer of ice that does not go away means the defrost cycle has stopped working, airflow across the coil is blocked, or the refrigerant charge is off. On nights near 43°F, the coil runs cold enough that a failed defrost control shows up fast. If the ice keeps building, shut the unit off and have a contractor look at it before it strains the compressor.
- Why is my heat pump running but not cooling?
- The compressor or fan may be running while the refrigerant side isn't moving heat out of your home. Start by checking the air filter and the outdoor unit for anything blocking airflow, since a blocked coil can make a heat pump run without cooling. If the filter and coil are clear, the problem is likely low refrigerant or a failing compressor, and diagnosing that means opening the sealed system. That work has to go to a technician with EPA Section 608 certification, and a Louisiana-licensed contractor can price the repair once they've seen the unit.