One problem you may experience with your business’ outdoor heat pump this winter is that it may be affected by ice and snow. The pump should be unaffected by a light dusting of frost or snow, but extended periods of very cold weather can cause the whole unit to become iced-up, leaving your workforce shivering and your unit vulnerable to damage.
If there’s a cold snap this winter and your heat pump fails, it could be that icing-up is to blame. Luckily, you should be able to unfreeze the pump quickly and easily by following these instructions.
Turn on the heat pump’s fan
The first and quickest solution to a frozen heat pump is simply to run the fan.
The fan will blow warm air through the pump, de-icing it and quickly solving the problem. Set the fan to an exhaust setting and allow it to run for an hour or so. As a preventative measure during extended periods of cold weather, run the fan continuously to stop the pump from freezing.
Adjust the thermostat sensor
The colder the weather gets, the longer the pump must run to shift the ice. Try setting the thermostat on the unit to increase the temperature at which the pump kicks in and remember to mark the original sensor position so that it can be reset correctly when the weather warms up.
Relocate the heat pump
Although the UK does not experience prolonged periods of extremely cold weather these days, it might be worth asking your heating engineer to relocate the pump to a more sheltered location where it is protected from ice and frost, which may prevent the problem altogether.
Defrost the heat pump manually
If your heat pump has a defrost option, you should run it whenever the weather is forecast to be freezing, especially overnight. The factory settings on the unit should enable the pump to run for long enough to prevent it from freezing.
In conclusion
If your business premises have an outdoor heat/air conditioning pump, it may freeze during periods of very cold weather. If the tips given above fail to resolve the problem, contact the helpful experts at I-HT for advice and assistance.
