Unfortunately, as with all great machines, sometimes heat pumps don’t work as they should. Occasionally we get calls from worried people around Christchurch wanting to know, “Why is my heat pump leaking?”
Well, here’s the answer.
How A Heat Pump Works
Very simply, your heat pump uses a compressor and refrigerant gas to move heat from one area to another. Just look at your fridge for example. It uses refrigerant and a compressor to move all of the cool air in your kitchen into your fridge in order to lower the temperature. Using your heat pump as an air conditioner in the summer is exactly the same process and technology at work!
Check out this handy guide if you would like a more thorough explanation into how heat pumps work.
Air Conditioning Your Home
As we mentioned before, while heating or cooling heat pumps filter and remove excess moisture from your home to keep your house and family healthy and dry. Normally, condensation forms on the evaporator coils and drips away down the condensate drain on the outside of your home.
In winter, it’s not unusual to see the opposite happening to your outdoor heat pump unit. As it extracts heat from outdoor air and warms up your Christchurch home, condensation can form on the outdoor unit as the cold and hot air meet. So, a little water coming from your outdoor unit in winter isn’t something to worry about. But that’s not why you want to know why your heat pump is leaking.
Reasons Why a Heat Pump Can Leak Water
Ice On The Evaporator Coils
But it’s summer, I hear you say! Well, if your heat pump’s refrigerant levels are low in the summer, condensation on the indoor evaporator coils can freeze. Ice on the evaporator coils stops your heat pump from working properly when you want to air condition your home. When you turn your heat pump on, it starts its defrost cycle which melts the ice, causing the inside leak.
That’s an easy fix. We can test your heat pump’s refrigerant levels and if they are low, we can give them a top up which should stop your heat pump leaking.
Condensate Drain Problems
Look out in your garden. When the heat hits Christchurch, things start to grow. While this is great for your vegie patch, it’s not good inside your drain. A little water and a lot of heat inside your drain can cause algae and mold to grow, clogging it up. As your heat pump cools you down and filters the air, the excess moisture has nowhere to go, overflowing out your heat pump.
This is another easy fix. When Heat Pumps NOW cleans and services your heat pump, we clean and clear away any blockages inside so the water can drain to where it needs to go. Ideally not inside your home.
If you’re concerned about an indoor water feature where your heat pump used to be, contact the team at Heat Pumps NOW. We can fix your leaky, dripping heat pump, so it can get back to the business of air conditioning and cooling your home.
Don’t live with a drip, contact the team at Heat Pumps NOW on 03 377 7393.