A senior tech, a 2-hour arrival window, and a written quote before any work starts.
A senior tech, a 2-hour arrival window, and a written quote before any work starts.
Repair, service, replacement and dual-fuel design. North Carolina winters are mild enough that a heat pump is usually the cheapest way to heat a house — when it is sized and set up properly.
Three fields. Or just call — it is faster.
A heat pump does not make heat, it moves it, which is why it can deliver more energy into a house than it consumes. That advantage shrinks as it gets colder outside — which is exactly why the Triangle is good heat pump country. Our winters spend most of their time in the range where a heat pump is comfortably cheaper to run than resistance heat, and often cheaper than gas.
The same box is your air conditioner in July. One system, one set of maintenance, and no combustion in the house.
The catch is that heat pumps are less forgiving of a sloppy install than a furnace is. Charge has to be right, airflow has to be right, and the auxiliary heat has to be configured to come in when it should and not before. Most of the heat pumps we are called to are not broken so much as never properly commissioned.
Two things send people reaching for the phone in their first winter with a heat pump, and neither is a fault.
Ice on the outdoor coil. In cold damp weather the outdoor coil runs below freezing and picks up frost. That is normal. Every so often the system reverses itself for a few minutes to melt it off — the outdoor fan stops, the unit gets louder, and it may steam heavily enough that people call the fire brigade. Then it goes back to heating. What is not normal is ice that never clears, ice encasing the whole unit, or ice still there hours later. That is a defrost fault.
Air that feels cool. A heat pump delivers a large volume of moderately warm air rather than a small volume of hot air. Against a hand at 90°F it feels cool, even though the room is 70°F and climbing. A gas furnace produces much hotter air, so anyone switching from one to the other notices. Genuinely cold air in heat mode is a different matter and usually means the reversing valve or the charge.
The failures we see most, and what they usually point to.
| Symptom | Usual cause | How soon |
|---|---|---|
| Not heating at all in winter | Reversing valve stuck, low refrigerant charge, or a failed defrost board. | Same day |
| Iced up and staying iced | Defrost cycle not running — board, sensor, or reversing valve. | Same day |
| Auxiliary heat on constantly | Undersized system, low charge, or thermostat staging configured wrong. Expensive to ignore. | Within 24h |
| Short-cycling | Oversized for the house, or a charge problem. Both shorten compressor life. | Within a few days |
| Loud in operation | Fan motor bearings or compressor wear. Worth catching before it seizes. | Within a few days |
| Mini-split zone not responding | Communication fault between head and outdoor unit, or a failed remote sensor. | Within a few days |
A dual-fuel system pairs a heat pump with a gas furnace and hands the work to whichever is cheaper at the current outdoor temperature. The heat pump carries the great majority of a Triangle winter; the furnace takes the handful of nights where it stops being the economical choice.
It makes sense if you already have gas at the house and are replacing both sides anyway. It makes much less sense as a reason to bring gas to a house, and we will tell you that rather than sell you the bigger job.
Published ranges for repairs and for installation. Install pricing depends on the load calculation and on whether existing ductwork and electrical can be reused.
| Repair | Typical range |
|---|---|
| Heat pump diagnostic + recharge | $295–$695 |
| Defrost board replacement | $345–$595 |
| Reversing valve solenoid | $395–$695 |
| Compressor replacement (major) | $1,800–$3,500 |
| Single-zone heat pump install | $5,500–$9,000 |
| Premium variable-speed heat pump | $9,000–$14,000 |
| Dual-fuel system install | $10,000–$15,000 |
Diagnostics are quoted in writing before any work starts, and financing is available on installations.
Pick your city for local detail, response times and the neighbourhoods we cover most:
That is the defrost cycle. The system briefly reverses to melt frost off the outdoor coil, which produces steam and a change in noise, then returns to heating. It is normal and lasts a few minutes.
Some frost in cold damp weather is expected. Ice that never clears, encases the unit, or is still there hours later is a defrost fault and worth a call.
Heat pumps move a lot of moderately warm air rather than a little very hot air. Around 90°F feels cool against your hand but still heats the room. Genuinely cold air is a fault.
Very well. Our winters sit mostly in the range where a heat pump is cheaper to run than resistance heat and frequently cheaper than gas. The auxiliary strips cover the coldest nights.
Broadly comparable to an AC system, though a heat pump runs year-round rather than one season, so maintenance matters more. Annual service is the single biggest factor in getting the full life out of one.
A heat pump paired with a gas furnace, switching to whichever is cheaper at the outdoor temperature. Worth it if you already have gas and are replacing both sides; rarely worth running a new gas line for.
Tell us what it is doing and we will tell you whether it is a fault or just winter.
A senior tech, a 2-hour arrival window, and a written quote before any work starts.
or call (919) 335-9030
One offer per visit. Not combinable with other discounts. Repairs only.
