Heat Pump Repair in Slidell, 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. Tammany Parish will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Slidell asks a lot of your heat pump, in both directions
Your heat pump works almost the whole year here. It heats from November through March, then switches over and cools from April through October. There is barely a break where it just sits.
Winter nights averaging 43°F mean the heat pump is drawing on outdoor air that has little warmth to give, so the compressor and the reversing valve carry more of the load to keep the house comfortable. Come summer, afternoons near 91°F push the same compressor hard from the other direction. That back and forth, year after year, is what tends to wear out the reversing valve first, and it shows up as the system stuck in one mode, blowing cool air when you want heat or warm air when you want cool.
- 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 tests contractors before issuing a license and keeps a record of who holds one. That license belongs to the contractor, not to any single job, so the same license that qualifies someone to install a heat pump is what qualifies them to repair one.
A heat pump repair usually means opening the refrigerant side of the system. Federal law requires anyone who does that, in any state, to hold EPA Section 608 certification. That certification is separate from the state license and covers the technician's handling of refrigerant specifically, not the rest of the work.
Source: Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors
- Why is my heat pump blowing cold air?
- In heating mode, a heat pump moves warm air through the house at a lower temperature than a furnace would, so the air from the vents can feel cool even when it's working right. If the air is actually cold, not just cool, check that the outdoor unit is running and not iced over. A dirty filter, a low refrigerant charge, or a failing reversing valve can also keep the system from switching into heat mode the way it should. A contractor can check the refrigerant charge and test the reversing valve to find out which one it is.
- Why is there ice on my heat pump?
- A heat pump forms a light frost in cold weather and clears it on its own through a defrost cycle. If ice is building up and staying, something is stopping that cycle from working. The usual causes are low refrigerant, a blocked or dirty outdoor coil, a fan that has stopped turning, or a failed defrost control board. With winter nights here averaging 43°F, the outdoor unit runs its defrost cycle often, so a problem with it tends to show up fast. Leave the ice alone rather than chipping at it, and have a contractor look at the coil and the defrost controls.
- Why is my heat pump running but not cooling?
- If the unit is running but the air isn't cold, the most common cause is low refrigerant from a leak, since a heat pump can't move heat the way it should without the right charge. A dirty outdoor coil, a failing compressor, or a blocked filter can also keep it from cooling even while the fan and outdoor unit both run. With summer afternoons here averaging 91°F, a system that's short on refrigerant will struggle to keep up on the hottest days first. A contractor can check the refrigerant charge and pressures to find the cause, since anyone working on that part of the system needs an EPA Section 608 certification to do it.