Heat pump not heating? What to check before booking a technician

Start with the controls

Remote settings get changed by accident more often than anything else in the system.

• Confirm the mode is set to Heat, not Auto, Dry or Fan
• Set the temperature clearly above room temperature — at least 3 degrees
• Set the fan to Auto or High rather than Quiet
• Check for a timer, sleep or vacation setting that limits output
• On multi-zone systems, make sure no other head is calling for cooling — heads sharing one outdoor unit cannot heat and cool at the same time

Then check power and airflow

Only reset a breaker once. A breaker that trips again is reporting an electrical fault, and repeated resets are unsafe.

• Check the indoor and outdoor breakers and any outdoor disconnect switch
• Pull and clean the indoor filters — heavy dust alone can cause short cycling
• Clear snow, ice, leaves and stored items to give the outdoor unit at least 45 cm of clearance on all sides
• Confirm the outdoor fan is spinning when the system calls for heat

Stop and book a technician if you see this

Some symptoms are not homeowner-serviceable, and continuing to run the system can turn a repair into a replacement.

• A burning, hot-plastic or electrical smell — shut the system off at the breaker
• An error code on the indoor display or blinking fault lights
• A breaker that trips more than once
• A solid block of ice on the outdoor coil that returns after defrost
• Loud grinding, screeching or repeated hard clicking

What a diagnostic visit gives you

A standard residential diagnostic visit is $250 before applicable taxes. It covers equipment identification, testing within the approved scope, and written findings with clear options — so any repair quote comes with evidence, not guesswork. Work outside the approved scope is only done with your approval.