Is It Bad If Your Heat Pump Runs Constantly In The Summer?

Heat pumps are an excellent way to heat or cool your home, no matter the time of year or location. However, these heat pumps need to be maintained and can experience issues from normal wear and tear. One of the most common questions people ask about their heat pumps is if it’s bad if your heat pump runs constantly in summer. The thing to remember is that heat pumps run frequently by design. In fact, they’ll constantly run during temperatures below freezing in the wintertime. However, they will run frequently and for long periods in the summer. When your heat pump runs nonstop in the summer, it’s likely not working efficiently. As a result, you’ll notice increased energy bills. In addition, this constant running can be a sign of problems within the unit. In this article, we’ll cover some of the possible causes of a constantly running heat pump during the summer and their solutions.

Your thermostat may be set too low.

The most straightforward problem is that your thermostat may be set too low. Depending on the average temperatures where you live, you may have the setting too low for your heat pump to keep up. As a result, it’ll run continuously to reach this unrealistic setting. So, if you’re living somewhere where the temps can exceed 100 degrees Fahrenheit outside, 60 degrees is an unrealistic setting to keep your heat pump energy-efficient. In these locations, 75 degrees is more realistic and will keep your home comfortable while saving you money on your electric bill. Furthermore, suppose someone accidentally bumped your thermostat. In that case, it could’ve changed the setting to a ridiculously low setting like 50 degrees, which in a hot environment, will cause your heat pump to never shut off as it can’t possibly reach that temperature.

The thermostat could be malfunctioning.

Another thermostat-related problem could be that it’s malfunctioning. Even if the home’s temperature is at the desired setting, it may not be registering this temperature change. Therefore, the heat pump may continue running because the thermostat signals the unit that the temperature isn’t correct. If you want to check if your thermostat has problems, you’ll need a thermometer. First, check the thermometer’s reading by the thermostat. If the thermometer doesn’t match the thermostat reading, it’s likely experiencing problems.

You could have dirty air filters.

Your heat pump could constantly be running because of another easy-to-fix problem, dirty air filters. When your air filters are dirty and clogged with debris, the heat pump must work much harder to cool your home as it pushes air through the clogged filter. So, it may run continuously if the filters are heavily saturated with dust and dirt. All you have to do to solve this issue is change your air filters. Moving forward, you should change your air filters every three months. If you have one or more pets, you’ll need to change your air filters every two months to account for the pet hair that will be caught in the filters.

The unit could be too small for your home.

This problem is geared more toward newly installed heat pumps. If your heat pump’s size doesn’t meet the needs of the size of your home, it will struggle to cool the house. Using an under-sized unit will cause it to wear out faster, get damaged, and run continuously as it can’t push cooled air throughout the house fast enough to maintain temperatures. So, when you’re having a new unit installed at your home, ensure it’s the appropriate size for your space to avoid this problem.

Keep an eye on your heat pump.

If you’re experiencing a heat pump that constantly runs in the summer, and none of our simple fixes do the trick, you may need professional help. Remember, always hire an experienced HVAC technician to handle your heat pump repairs and annual maintenance to keep them running smoothly and efficiently.