A Guide To Charging Heat Pumps During The Cold Season

Refrigerant is a substance (or mixture) that is used to move heat back and forth between the in- and outdoors. However, since refrigerant is transferred through pipes, these lines may be damaged, which will lead to leaks, and thus a loss of refrigerant. As a result, the heat pump requires a recharge in order to restore the desired performance level.

The Complexity Of Charging Your Heat Pump During Winter

If you wish to, or need to, charge your heat pump in the depths of winter (or generally low temperatures), you will need to make use of what is called the “superheat method”.

This method can only be performed by HVAC Repair technicians in Philadelphia who have undergone the required training. “Superheat” is a term which is used when talking about the differences in temperature between refrigerant vapor in its actual state and refrigerant vapor’s temperature during saturation.

If you wish to keep your home warm and cozy, your auxiliary heating system needs to be up and running during the repair process of your heat pump. This is because the heat pump needs to be offline while the necessary repairs are made.

The charging process of a heat pump is significantly more difficult during the cold season due to the latent heat load being so minuscule around the evaporator.

Additionally, and as a result of this, the refrigerant charge of your heat pump cannot be perfect, but it will still be more than enough to restore efficiency to your system.

Charging Process In Low Temperatures

• In order to keep the air inside the system from escaping, the condenser will be covered by a sheet of plastic.

• Using the 4-way reversing valve, the heat pump’s mode is switched to cooling. To achieve this, its low voltage wire will need to be removed. This is because the thermostat will still be asking for heat which it will now be able to obtain through the auxiliary heating system. Once this set up is complete, your home will remain heated, even while the heat pump is down.

• The refrigerant vapor in the refrigerant lines needs to be retrieved by bleeding air from the lines.

• In order to capture this refrigerant, a refrigerant cylinder will be fastened to the gauge lines and switched upside down. Once this set up is established, the manifold valve can be opened and refrigerant liquid can be retrieved.

It is important that you discuss the details with a reliable and licensed contractor that has years of experience in handling varied sizes of HVAC systems. Usually, such services offer standard maintenance plans on a regular basis.