How A Broken Heat Pump Really Affects You
Posted on: 24 October 2016
If your home's heat pump is showing signs of malfunctioning, and you're hoping to make it last just a little longer before you spend money on repairs, stop that, and call a repair company now. Having a working heat pump is essential if the weather requires you to have the heating or cooling function on. If the heat pump stops working, it can have effects other than the temperature in your home becoming too hot or too cold -- it can affect your health and the health of other appliances and objects in your home.
Worsening Sleep
Temperatures that are too hot or too cold can lead to worsening sleep. Despite evidence that a cooler room can make you sleep better, a room that's too cold isn't going to help you unless you bundle up well. In summer, a room that's too hot can also be difficult to sleep in. If you keep trying to use the heat pump without getting it inspected and fixed, you could end up without any heat this winter if the pump suddenly fails.
Appliance Stress
If your home gets too hot in summer, that can affect how efficiently your refrigerator and freezer work. When you open the door to get food, warm air rushes in, and the appliance's motor has to work harder to cool the interior of the appliance back down into the acceptable range. If your air conditioning is out because the heat pump failed, the air in your home will be warmer, causing the fridge or freezer motor to work even harder. That creates excess wear on the appliance.
Higher Humidity
Heat pumps act as dehumidifiers just like a typical air conditioner compressor and condenser coil do. If the heat pump is not working, you can end up with too much humidity in your home. Not only is that uncomfortable, but it can create more mildew and mold issues for your home both in hot and cold weather. Your windowsills can develop mildew, paper goods can develop mildew, and even your walls can develop mildew and mold. Your home can trap what little humidity there is on a dry winter's night; add the moisture that enters the air from your breathing and you eventually have a rather humid environment inside your home.
Having the heat pump repaired now will likely be a lot easier, too, than if you wait for the appliance to completely break. Don't take a risk; if you notice the heat pump acting strangely, get it checked out now.
Share