Heat Pump Frozen Outside

When this becomes an emergency

• The coil is glazed over with clear ice rather than dusted with frost.
• Ice is bridging between the fins and the fan blade is catching on it.
• The heads indoors have gone from hot to lukewarm over a day or two.
• Water dripping off a roof edge above the unit has frozen down its side.

What a pro does

Some ice is expected and the useful question is whether the machine is keeping up with it. A technician confirms the defrost cycle starts, runs, and finishes, checks the sensor that reports coil temperature, and reads charge and airflow, both of which push coil temperature lower and speed up frosting when they're off. Wet coastal air makes for heavier frost loads than dry cold does, so a system that coped fine somewhere drier can struggle a few miles from the water. Site conditions matter as much as parts. Roof runoff dripping onto a unit refreezes into a shell that no defrost cycle can shed, and a gutter or a diverter fixes more of those than a service call does.

Frequently asked questions

Heat Pump Frozen Outside?

Get connected with a local pro now.

Keep going