One perk of living in a technologically advanced society is that we rarely have to think about where our everyday necessities come from or why the work. That is until they break down. Take your heating system for instance. As part of your daily routine in the colder months, you get out of your warm bed in search of more heat. You head to the thermostat, increase the dial and bask in the warmth while you continue to get ready, until one day, the heat doesn’t come. In its place is the shock of a cold blast that sends chills through your body and has you retreating back under your blankets.
Like any inexperienced individual, you return to the thermostat and try again, hoping it was just a glitch in an otherwise flawless system that has provided you with heat countless times before. Nope, still cold. You place your hand in front of every vent in the house until cold blast and after cold blast leaves you feeling defeated. After concluding that you in fact did pay your heating bill, you pick up the phone, hoping to find someone who can come and fix your dilemma on the spot.
The first question posed to you from the heating and cooling specialist, like Mark Wethington, owner of B&J Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning Inc., is pretty easy to answer. What’s the problem? The heat doesn’t work. The second question is the tricky one. Why?
Stumped, you resort to a little pleading, and anxiously await the arrival of someone with a little more experience than relentlessly turning the dial on the thermostat. The problem, you are later told, is your heat pump. While you know the specialist isn’t speaking a foreign language, you still have no idea what he is saying.
What is a heat pump?
As Wethington explains, a heat pump is a device that uses the transfer of energy from one location to heat your home. Usually heat pumps produce the energy transfer by using the ground and air around your home to produce heat. Additionally, when used in reverse, heat pumps can cool your home.
Who can use a heat pump?
Manufacturers advise that heat pumps are most beneficial to people who live in moderate climates because severe cold conditions in the air and ground can tamper with the pump’s efficiency.
Do they require maintenance?
Just like any other appliance in your home, heat pumps need proper care too, explains Wethington. He recommends getting your heating and cooling system serviced once a year and investing in upgrades when necessary.
