Your heat pump is the heart of your home's heating system, but once temperatures dip down far enough, the pump runs the risk of freezing up and not functioning properly any longer. It's important that you know how to handle such a problem if it does occur and how to prevent it from happening in the future as well. Fortunately, it is possible for you to manually defrost your heat pump if you follow these helpful tips.

1. Remove any Blockages

It's common for a heat pump to fail to defrost automatically when it's suffering from a blockage of some type. In the winter, the source of a blockage is often snow. Look over the pump for any snow, leaves, sticks or other items that are potentially blocking up the airflow. Remove any of these obvious issues to hopefully clear up the frosting problem.

2. Replace Inside Filters

As filters become clogged, the airflow through your unit slows down to a crawl, and this can inhibit your heat pump's ability to defrost itself. Replace your filters regularly and clean out the evaporator coils while you're inside the pump to prevent dust collection and keep air flowing freely.

3. Use Water

If you notice that your heat pump is covered heavily with frost, the best thing that you can do for it is to shut it off to avoid further damage. Once off, pour a large amount of warm water over the top of the unit to thaw it, and then wipe off any excess moisture to prevent freezing after.

4. Turn on the Defrost Setting

Some heat pump units come with a manual defrost setting designed to tackle colder-than-average conditions. If your pump isn't able to keep frost away with its automatic defrosting features, it might be time to engage the manual feature that runs the defrost cycle longer. It will use more energy to do this, but your pump is less likely to freeze up with the manual feature engaged.

5. Relocate Your Sensor

Now that you have the frost issue sorted out this time, it's time to tackle it over the longer term. The best way to do that is often moving the temperature sensor of the unit. Mark where the sensor is currently located, and then move it to a new spot to try and correct the issue. Often, near the intake is one of the best spots to use.

If you find yourself regularly defrosting your heat pump, you may want to reach out to a technician, such as those at Winters Heating Cooling, for help. A professional would be able to evaluate your heat pump to determine if there is some deeper problem causing the frequent need for a defrosting.