Heat Pump Repair in Chesapeake, VA
Homes here need heat from November through April and cooling from May through September. If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Chesapeake will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Your heat pump works almost all year here
In Chesapeake your heat pump runs from November through April, then switches over and runs again from May through September. That's 11 months of the year with barely a break, and every changeover between heating and cooling puts a load on the reversing valve. Over years of switching back and forth, that valve is often the first thing to stick or fail.
Winter nights averaging 33°F mean the system runs its defrost cycle often to keep the outdoor coil clear of frost. A defrost board or sensor that's starting to go will let frost build up until the unit can't pull heat from the air at all, and you'll notice the air coming out cold or barely moving. Add in Chesapeake's storms, 58 damaging wind events and 8 winter storms in the last ten years, and the outdoor unit itself takes a beating, from debris hitting the coil to power surges when electricity comes back on after an outage.
- 6 months
- November through April, your system heats
- 5 months
- May through September, it cools
- 33°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 87°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
Virginia requires HVAC contractors to hold a state license.
Virginia's license is held by the contractor, not issued job by job, and the state tests and records that contractor through the Board for Contractors before they can hold it. Work under $1,000 falls outside that requirement, so a small repair can legally be done without a licensed contractor.
A heat pump repair often means opening the refrigerant side of the system, and that work needs EPA Section 608 certification no matter where you live. That certification is separate from the state license and covers handling refrigerant safely, not the contractor's business as a whole. If the repair runs above the $1,000 mark, Virginia's licensing requirement applies to whoever does the work.
Sources: Virginia General Assembly · Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation
- Why is my heat pump blowing cold air?
- In heating mode, air from the vents should feel warm compared to the room, not hot like a furnace, but it should not feel cold either. If it feels cold rather than mild, the system may be stuck in defrost, low on refrigerant, or the backup heat strips aren't kicking in when they should. It can also mean the reversing valve is stuck in cooling mode even though the thermostat is calling for heat. A contractor can check the reversing valve and refrigerant charge to find out which it is.
- Why is there ice on my heat pump?
- Some frost during a winter defrost cycle is normal. The unit runs this cycle on its own, then switches back to heating once the coil clears. Ice that stays, builds up thick, or covers the whole unit points to a real problem, often low refrigerant, a failed defrost control, or a fan that isn't moving air across the coil. Running the unit with heavy ice on it can damage the compressor, so it's worth having a contractor look at it rather than waiting for it to melt on its own.
- Why is my heat pump running but not cooling?
- If the outdoor unit is running but the air from your vents isn't cool, the most common causes are low refrigerant, a dirty outdoor coil, or a compressor that isn't working even though the fan is. A clogged filter can also starve the system of airflow and make cooling seem weak. A heat pump low on refrigerant will struggle most on the hottest summer afternoons, when the system has the least room to make up for it. A contractor can check the refrigerant charge and airflow to find the cause.