Heat pump blowing cold? Diagnosed right the first time.

The service call is $210: $99 dispatch plus $111 diagnostic, not credited toward the repair. Most heat pump repairs run $150 to $1,500 depending on the part, and I quote everything in writing before I touch a thing.

Most often a reversing valve stuck in cooling. Other causes are low refrigerant from a leak, a bad defrost board or sensor, or the normal defrost cycle, which blows cooler air for 10 to 15 minutes on cold mornings. That last one is not a malfunction.

Only if the outdoor unit is clearly broken and you need heat now. Emergency heat runs only the electric backup strips and costs more to operate. Call for a repair instead of running it for more than a day or two.

Yes, during defrost it will steam and hiss for a few minutes. What is not normal is a coil iced over for hours, or a unit cycling through defrost constantly.

Yes. Central Oklahoma rarely sees sustained cold that challenges a properly sized heat pump with backup heat, and cold-climate models keep real capacity well below freezing.

Yes. I cover Kingfisher, Canadian, Oklahoma, Garfield, Major, Logan and Blaine counties, including Oklahoma City, Edmond, Yukon, Piedmont, Mustang, El Reno and Guthrie.

A well-maintained heat pump typically lasts 12 to 15 years in central Oklahoma. Because it runs summer and winter, it wears faster than a heat pump in a cooler climate or an air conditioner that only works half the year. Annual maintenance is the biggest factor in reaching the top of that range: a clean coil, a correct refrigerant charge, and electrical parts checked before they fail. Here is what I check on a heat pump tune-up.

Most homes in central Oklahoma do well with a change every 60 to 90 days. Homes with pets or heavy dust may need a new filter every month. A clogged filter is one of the most common causes of weak heat and early part failure, and because a heat pump runs year round, it matters even more than on an air-conditioner-only system.

Emergency heat comes on when the outdoor unit cannot keep up or drops off entirely, and the electric strips take over. Running on strips is expensive. I test the refrigerant circuit, the controls and the outdoor unit to find out why it dropped off. Do not let it run on strips all winter if you can help it.

A common cause is a refrigerant leak or a failing outdoor unit that leaves the backup electric strips running far more than they should. The house still feels warm, so it goes unnoticed until the bill arrives. A diagnostic finds whether the heat pump is doing the work or the strips are.

Most repairs are finished on the same visit once I know what part is needed, because I stock the most common capacitors, contactors and controls on my truck. Reversing valves and circuit boards sometimes need to be ordered, which adds a day or two. I will tell you exactly what to expect before I leave your driveway.

Yes. I work on Trane, Mitsubishi and other inverter-drive systems. Variable-speed boards, sensors and refrigerant charge weights need factory specs and the right gauges. I carry digital manifolds and follow each manufacturer’s procedure.

I do. I am Dave Hartzell, a Master HVAC tech with 47 years in the trade, and heat pump repair across central Oklahoma is the core of what I do at Hartzell’s Heat & Air, rated 4.8 stars across 300+ Google reviews. If your heat pump is blowing the wrong temperature, icing up or short cycling, call 405-375-4822.