Stiff Standards

Some light ice is to be expected as temperatures start to drop, but it shouldn’t remain on your system over the long term (thanks to your heat pump’s defrost mode). If your system has a heavy coating of ice or is icing over for long periods of time, it’s possible your unit has a broken defrost control board.

So What?

Ice has built up around your unit and you think it might be a broken defrost control board — so what? Is it a major issue or just a minor nuisance?

When your fingers and toes are cold, simple movements take a little extra effort, and the same goes for your heat pump: it has to work harder in the cold. Heat pump coils that are blocked by ice struggle to transfer heat between the refrigerant and the outside air. So a heat pump that's encased in ice has to work extra hard to get rid of the chill, and if your defrost control board can't signal to your heat pump to check for ice and get rid of it, you're likely wasting energy and money every month.

Next Steps

Frost on your heat pump got you in a freeze? Luckily, there’s an answer to your polar problem. To prevent your unit from breaking down and eating up your energy bill, it’s important to replace your defrost control board.