Heat Pump Repair in Orangeburg, SC
Homes here need heat from November through March and cooling from May through September. If your system quits, tell us what it's doing and a licensed contractor who covers Orangeburg County will get in touch.
Tell us about the job
It takes about a minute.
Your heat pump works ten months a year here
In Orangeburg County it's heat from November through March and cooling from May through September. Only two months off in between. That kind of run time adds up on the compressor and the reversing valve, the part that switches the system between heat and cool. When the reversing valve starts to stick, you'll notice the system blowing cold air when it should be heating, or it won't switch over at all.
Most homes here heat with electricity, so the heat pump is doing the real work on winter nights that average 37°F, not backup. Summer afternoons average 91°F, and the outdoor unit works just as hard in that heat with little rest between seasons. Orangeburg County has logged 177 damaging wind events over the past ten years, and in 2024 close to half of South Carolina households lost power for at least a day. A heat pump usually comes back on by itself once power returns, but if the outdoor unit took a hit from wind or flying debris during the storm, it may run rough or not start at all.
- 5 months
- November through March, your system heats
- 5 months
- May through September, it cools
- 37°F
- the average winter night it heats against
- 91°F
- the average summer afternoon it cools against
NOAA nClimDiv, 1991–2020 normals
- Why is my heat pump blowing cold air?
- In heating mode, a heat pump moves warm air at a lower temperature than a furnace does, so the air from the vents can feel cool even when it's working right. Hold your hand near a vent and compare it to room temperature rather than to how hot a furnace runs. If the air feels cold, not just cool, and the room isn't warming up, the system may have lost refrigerant or gotten stuck in defrost mode. A contractor can check the refrigerant charge and the reversing valve to find out which it is.
- Why is there ice on my heat pump?
- A heat pump forms some frost during normal winter operation and clears it with a periodic defrost cycle. A thin coat that melts off within an hour is nothing to worry about. Ice that stays, thickens, or covers the whole coil means the defrost cycle isn't running or the unit isn't putting out enough heat to melt what forms. That kind of buildup usually points to low refrigerant, a failing defrost sensor, or a fan that isn't moving air across the coil, and it needs a contractor to sort out before the coil takes damage.
- Why is my heat pump running but not cooling?
- If the outdoor unit and indoor blower are both running but the air coming out isn't cold, the system likely isn't moving refrigerant the way it should. Low refrigerant from a leak is the most common reason, and a dirty outdoor coil that can't shed heat is another. Check that the outdoor unit isn't blocked by grass, leaves, or anything piled against it, since summer afternoons here reach 91°F and the coil needs open airflow to keep up. If it's clear and still not cooling, a contractor will need to check the charge and the coil itself.