Do Heat Pumps Eat Squirrels?
 

I have a question for the Planet HVAC Elite.

There was a knock at our front door about 20 minutes ago and, upon answering, lo and behold there was one of our neighbors standing on the porch. In a series of frightened, breathless stammerings, he reported that our heat pump unit was making loud noises. Since he had to shout in order to make himself heard over the deafening din coming from the side of the house, I assumed that he was correct. Donning my coat, I ventured outdoors, approached the unit in question, and can now confirm that our heat pump unit is trying to launch itself into outer space.

My question is, what could cause such a thing? Do heat pumps have fan bearings? Belts? Do they warn the homeowner before exploding? Any advice on this matter would be appreciated as we are unsure whether or not to evacuate.

Thanks in advance.

FAX

Disclaimers: Sorry if repost.

Time to do a Google search for a licensed exorcist Mr. Fax.

I have contacted a Priest and we are awaiting authorization from the Vatican in order to perform the rites should that become necessary, Mr. Kerberos. Meanwhile, I'm hopeful that a Planet expert will contribute his opinion to this thread since Mike The HVAC Guy will be here sometime today and the haggling will begin in earnest.

If he tells me that the number 2 lipswitch has gone rogue and damaged the electrosensometer's capacitor coil, happens all the time, and that'll be $700 dollars, I'd like to be able to tell him to check the fan belt.

FAX

Anti freeze?

Probably a bad compressor bearing. Kiss it, and lots of your money, goodbye.

Sounds like a fan bearing to me. I had one go out
 

and they do sound terrible. It may be costly to replace depending on what kind of heat pumb you own. Good luck!

So ... compressor bearing or fan bearing? Thanks, guys.

I know that the type of heat pump makes a difference, but if you were going to estimate a range of costs, what would it be?

Also, when your compressor and/or fan bearings have gone to the great mechanic in the sky, can you still run the heat pump? It warms the house ... just loudlyer than usual.

FAX

Whatever you do don't let him tell you it's a "muffler bearing" !!!1!!11!

:D

RUN AWAY!!

I'm not a fan of heat pumps. To me they run twice as much and you can barely feel any heat blowing out of them.

I would suggest turning on your emergency heat so it runs off of your furnace for now. You may damage something even worse costing even more money.

Mine was over 800 to replace some odd parts and stuff. Hope the squirrel is ok.

Man it could be a few things. Your condensor fan may may be out of balance. Think of a ceiling fan that wobbles but at 1057 rpms. A screw that holds the fan in position may of came out and is letting the fan hit the shrowd. A rubber mount might of came out of your compressor or the bearings in your compressor. But you need to shut it down so that this doesn't tear it up worse.

If you have to replace the fan motor it will probably be around 500. If it is the compressor going out you are looking at 1000.

Thanks guys. Appreciate the advice, information, and assistance.

Yes, Mr. BigRichard, I shut it off and activated the emergency heating system. We didn't hear it at first because the bedrooms are on the other side of the house (so we can't hear it). I hope I shut it off in time to prevent even more problems. We'll see.

Right now, I'm trying to remember if it could be under warranty. The unit is not very old in heat pump years.

FAX

Call my middle son;

Neece Heating and Cooling
816-461-8200

It's his business and he knows his stuff.

I have 5 sons. One for just about any situation.

Were I in KC, I would absolutely call him, Mr. Inspector. Unfortunately, I am in Nashville - Land Of Multi-Millionaire Heat Pump Technicians.

FAX

Depending on the make and year it was made it is either a 5 or a 10 year warranty. If you have warranty check to see if it came with a labor allowance. That way not only the parts covered but they will also pay a certain amount of the labor. All that being said you will have to find someone that will do warranty work on a system that they might not have sold and installed. Some will but a lot won't.

Without being there to actually hear it or investigate, it could be a number of things causing the noise.

It's possible it's the compressor, but hopefully not. That would be the most expensive item to replace. Unless it's still under warranty, it would probably cost you over $1,000 to replace.

Outdoor fan motor could have bad bearings (it doesn't have a belt). While it could be a little expensive, not nearly as bad a compressor. (maybe a couple hundred to replace)

Outdoor fan blade could be hitting something. Unless the blade is damaged, this is a quick and cheap fix.

While also possible but not as likely..

Compressor or fan contactor could be making noise. Sometimes they will make a "chattering" noise that can be very loud.

Reversing valve can be noisy, but very unlikely it would be that bad.

You guys are awesome in every respect. Many, many thanks for your help. I hope each and every one of you are seduced by a young, nubile blond with straight teeth before the sun goes down today.

Mike The Heat Pump Guy was just here. The diagnosis has been completed and the results are as follows; The compressor is fine. The fan is fine. Likely cause of the incredibly loud, irritating noise that awakened my neighbors: ice buildup on the unit. Total charge for the house call: $0.00.

God is great.

FAX THE RELIEVED

How dd you get a FREE service call?

I'm not completely sure, Mr. Skip Towne. We have worked with Mike The Awesome Heat Pump Stud for many years. He installed this unit, does the maintenance, etc. Maybe he likes us?

Anyway, as he was leaving I said, "You'll send us a bill for the visit, right?" and he said, "No. I'm not worried about it. Just keep an eye on it and let me know if I need to come back." and that was it. Surprised me, too.

FAX

You're luckier than a dog with three dicks.

That's the value of clean living, Mr. FAX.

I'm not so sure about that, Mr. Skip Towne.

Anyhow, everybody thinks that three-dicked dogs are some kind of uber-lucky until pecker gnat season arrives. Then they change their tune.

FAX

I don't know a lot about that....but damn that sounds real lucky.

FYP

this.

and what kind Heat Pump. my 10 yo Lennox great unit. just did furnace blower (squirrel cage) moter. (2nd one).

if i had a dog w/3 dicks, i'd shoot the poor bastard in the head. it's gonna drive itself nuts before it's full grown.
sec

Just a question, since I am not familiar with heat pumps but is the compressor part of the ac system and not the heating?

Now you can be like a women, i saved 1000 of dollars today.

Now go out and blow it on yourself.

BTW, my nieghbor is an elderly lady, she is a blond with straight teeth she can take in and out. Does that still count Fax?

That aint know lie. We just bought a house with a heat pump, and coming from a home with forced gas heat, I'm dissapointed.

On a heat pump, the compressor is part of the circuit for both cooling and heating.