Homeowners' pick for heating and cooling across Virginia and the Mid-Atlantic
Heat Pump Repair — Book a Visit Today
We repair heat pumps that have stopped heating, that ice over and stay iced, and that never switch to the furnace side on a dual-fuel setup, and we do it for homeowners across Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Delaware, Washington DC, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and North Carolina. Most calls trace back to a failed reversing valve, a bad defrost board or sensor, low refrigerant charge, a weak contactor, or a thermostat that was wired or configured wrong. On a visit we check what the thermostat is calling for, read temperatures at the indoor coil and outdoor unit, test the defrost sequence, and inspect the outdoor unit and duct runs, including the ones in damp crawlspaces. Call us with what you are seeing and we will schedule the visit.
Call (888) 365-6280- A real person answers
- Open 7 days
- Written quote before work starts
Taking calls until 5:00 PM ET
The heat pump symptoms we hear most
- Air out of the vents feels cool even though the heat is on Reversing valve stuck in cooling, low refrigerant charge, or a thermostat wired backwards
- The outdoor unit is a block of ice and stays that way Defrost control board, defrost sensor or thermostat failure, plus restricted airflow
- It heats, but the electric strips run constantly and the house never catches up Compressor or refrigerant problems forcing auxiliary heat to carry the load
- The furnace side never kicks in on the coldest nights Dual-fuel changeover control, outdoor sensor or thermostat staging fault
- Loud bang or grinding from the outdoor unit when it changes modes Failing reversing valve, fan motor bearings or a loose blade and mount
Whether you call it heat pump repair or heat pump service, the work is identical and so is the quote you approve first.
Safe things to check first
Worth a look before you call — sometimes it saves you the visit.
- 1Check the thermostat batteries and confirm it is set to heat with the temperature above room temperature.
- 2Look in the panel for a tripped breaker on the indoor air handler or the outdoor unit and reset it once.
- 3Change the filter if it is grey and loaded, since a clogged filter can ice the indoor coil and starve airflow.
- 4Clear leaves, snow, mulch and shrub growth back from the outdoor unit so it can breathe and drain during defrost.
How we compare to other HVAC companies
| James River Heating & Air | Big-box repair chains | Handyman listings | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Written quote before any work | ✓ | ✕ | ✕ |
| Live answer seven days a week | ✓ | ✕ | ✓ |
| Every major brand, gas or electric | ✓ | ✓ | ✕ |
| Independent company, nobody's quota | ✓ | ✕ | ✓ |
| Local techs who know the housing stock | ✓ | ✕ | ✓ |
What you get on every job
The quote comes first, in writing
Covering 171 cities across Washington DC, Delaware, Maryland and 5 more.A real person answers
Open 7 days, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM ET.Every major brand, gas and electric
Carrier, Trane, Lennox, Goodman and more. We are not an authorized dealer for any of them.Heat Pump Repair — quick answers
Why is my heat pump blowing cool air in the winter?
Usually a reversing valve that has not shifted into heating, a low refrigerant charge, or a thermostat set or wired wrong. Heat pump air also feels cooler than furnace air by nature. We measure temperatures at the coil to tell the difference.
Is frost on the outdoor unit normal?
A light coat of frost in damp weather is normal, and the unit should melt it off in a defrost cycle every so often. Solid ice covering the coil and fan for hours is not normal and points to a defrost control or airflow problem.
What does a defrost cycle problem look like?
You may hear a whoosh and see steam from the outdoor unit as it clears ice, which is correct. Trouble looks like ice that never clears, defrost running constantly, or the unit shutting down on a cold morning.
How does dual-fuel repair differ from a straight heat pump?
A dual-fuel system has to hand off between the heat pump and a gas furnace at a set outdoor temperature. Repairs often involve the changeover control, the outdoor sensor, or thermostat staging rather than the heat pump itself.
Should I repair the heat pump or replace the system?
We give you what we find, the condition of the compressor and coils, and the age of the equipment, then you decide. A single failed contactor or sensor is worth repairing. Repeated refrigerant loss on old equipment usually is not.
What if I smell gas near my dual-fuel furnace?
Leave the building right away, take everyone with you, and call 911 or your gas utility from outside. Do not flip switches or use the thermostat. Once the utility has made the space safe, call us and we will inspect the furnace.
How it works
- Step 1
Tell us the symptom
Call or fill in the form and describe what changed. Warm air, short cycling, a smell, water near the indoor unit. Details like that help us load the right parts before we leave.
- Step 2
We diagnose the whole system
We check the thermostat, the indoor unit, the outdoor unit and the ductwork, including runs in crawlspaces where damp air and loose joints quietly cause weak airflow and long run times.
- Step 3
You approve the fix
We explain what failed, what it takes to repair it, and what we would watch next season. Nothing gets replaced without your yes, and we clean up before we leave.
- A real person answers
- Open 7 days
- Written quote before work starts
Why homeowners call us
- Humidity is our home groundMuggy summers and damp shoulder seasons drive most of the calls we take. We look at moisture and airflow together, not the cooling number alone, because a clammy house often means a sizing or duct problem.
- Crawlspace ducts get checkedOlder homes across the region run supply ducts through vented crawlspaces. Crushed flex, disconnected boots and soaked insulation show up constantly, and we get under the house to look instead of guessing from the register.
- Heating and cooling bothSame crew for air conditioning repair in July and heating repair in January. We know how your furnace, heat pump and air handler share ducts and a blower, so one visit covers the whole system.
- Plain talk on repair or replaceWhen a repair makes sense, we repair it. When a system is failing in ways that will keep costing you, we say so and explain why, then leave the decision with you and your timeline.
- All major brands, gas & electricCarrier, Trane, Lennox, Goodman, Rheem, York and more, as an independent company.
- Straight answersIf a system is not worth repairing, we say so, often right on the phone.
Heat Pump Repair
Small faults become big ones on a schedule of their own
Describe the symptoms and we'll book the visit — takes about a minute.
- A real person answers
- Open 7 days
- Written quotes
- All major brands
- Gas & electric
Rather not call? Get a free quote →