Heat Pump Not Heating in Greater Vancouver

A heat pump that runs but fails to deliver warm air is one of the most common cold-weather complaints in Greater Vancouver homes — and the cause is usually diagnosable without specialized tools.

What This Means

Heat pumps transfer heat from outside air into the home rather than generating it. When heating fails, the system is either not extracting enough heat from the outdoor air, not moving it effectively through the indoor unit, or has a refrigerant or control fault preventing the heating cycle from completing.

Common Causes

• Outdoor unit frosting over — normal defrost cycle is not completing, blocking airflow
• Refrigerant low — insufficient refrigerant reduces heating capacity severely
• Reversing valve stuck in cooling mode — heat pump provides cooling when it should heat
• Defrost control board failure — system stays in defrost mode rather than heating
• Auxiliary heat not activating — backup electric heat not compensating during peak demand
• Filter severely restricted — indoor airflow so limited that heat pump cannot deliver capacity

What Homeowners Can Check Safely

• Check and replace the air filter if it has not been changed in the past 3 months
• Confirm the thermostat is set to HEAT mode, not COOL or AUTO cooling
• Look at the outdoor unit — a thin layer of frost is normal in cool weather, solid ice encasing the unit is not

When to Call a Licensed Technician

Heat pumps contain refrigerant under pressure, electrical components at line voltage, and control systems that require specialized diagnostic tools. Do not open refrigerant circuits, bypass safety switches, or attempt to recharge refrigerant without proper certification.

• Refrigerant pressure testing and recharge if low
• Reversing valve testing and replacement
• Defrost board testing and replacement
• Outdoor coil defrost cycle inspection
• Compressor capacity testing

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does my heat pump blow cool air in winter?

Cool air from a heat pump in heating mode usually means the system is in defrost cycle (a brief, normal event), the reversing valve is stuck in cooling mode, or refrigerant is low. A heat pump in defrost mode will run the outdoor fan off and may engage the backup electric heat strip — this is normal for a few minutes. If cool air is continuous, refrigerant or a valve fault is likely.

At what outdoor temperature does a heat pump stop working efficiently?

Most standard air-source heat pumps lose significant efficiency below minus 5 to minus 10 degrees Celsius. Cold-climate heat pumps can operate efficiently down to minus 25 degrees Celsius or lower. In Greater Vancouver, where temperatures rarely fall below minus 5 degrees, a standard heat pump is almost always appropriate — the occasional cold snap may engage backup heat strips for a few hours.

{“@context”:”https://schema.org”,”@type”:”FAQPage”,”mainEntity”:[{“@type”:”Question”,”name”:”Why does my heat pump blow cool air in winter?”,”acceptedAnswer”:{“@type”:”Answer”,”text”:”Cool air from a heat pump in heating mode usually means the system is in defrost cycle (a brief, normal event), the reversing valve is stuck in cooling mode, or refrigerant is low. A heat pump in defrost mode will run the outdoor fan off and may engage the backup electric heat strip u2014 this is normal for a few minutes. If cool air is continuous, refrigerant or a valve fault is likely.”}},{“@type”:”Question”,”name”:”At what outdoor temperature does a heat pump stop working efficiently?”,”acceptedAnswer”:{“@type”:”Answer”,”text”:”Most standard air-source heat pumps lose significant efficiency below minus 5 to minus 10 degrees Celsius. Cold-climate heat pumps can operate efficiently down to minus 25 degrees Celsius or lower. In Greater Vancouver, where temperatures rarely fall below minus 5 degrees, a standard heat pump is almost always appropriate u2014 the occasional cold snap may engage backup heat strips for a few hours.”}}]}{“@context”:”https://schema.org”,”@type”:”Article”,”headline”:”Heat Pump Not Heating in Greater Vancouver”,”publisher”:{“@type”:”Organization”,”name”:”HeatLand Heating & Cooling”,”url”:”https://heatland.ca”},”url”:”https://heatland.ca/heat-pump-not-heating-greater-vancouver/”}