Around Lake Granbury, the Heat Pump Is King
Big stretches of the lake communities — DeCordova, Oak Trail Shores, parts of Pecan Plantation — were built without natural gas service, so those homes heat and cool with a single machine: the heat pump. It's genuinely the right technology for this climate. Our winters are mild enough that a heat pump covers almost every heating hour at a fraction of resistance-heat cost, and in summer it's simply a high-efficiency air conditioner. But it's also a machine with more failure modes than a furnace — a reversing valve, a defrost system, and backup heat strips that can quietly triple your bill when a control sticks. That's our specialty. Call (817) 555-0142.
Signs Your Heat Pump Needs Service
- Ice-covered outdoor unit that never clears. Brief frost and a steamy defrost cycle are normal; a unit sheeted in ice for hours is not.
- Electric bill jumps in winter without unusual cold — the signature of backup strips running when the heat pump should be carrying the load.
- "AUX HEAT" glowing on the thermostat constantly in 45–50° weather.
- A loud whoosh or shudder when switching modes. Some reversing-valve noise is normal at changeover; grinding or repeated slamming isn't.
- Cooling fine, barely heating (or the reverse). Classic reversing-valve or charge problem — one mode masks a fault the other exposes.
- Short-cycling or humming without starting — capacitors and contactors fail on heat pumps just like on ACs, only these run year-round and wear faster.
What We Do on a Heat Pump Call
Full-system diagnosis in whichever mode is failing and verification in the other: refrigerant charge measured against manufacturer tables (heat pumps are less forgiving of small charge errors than straight ACs), defrost board and sensor testing, reversing-valve operation, strip-heat staging and amp draw, and thermostat configuration — a surprising number of "broken heat pump" calls trace to a thermostat set up for the wrong equipment type. Flat-rate quote in writing before repairs begin, and most common parts are on the truck.
Replacing or Adding a Heat Pump
If your system is past 12–15 years, still runs R-22, or needs a compressor, we'll quote replacement with the same load-calculation discipline we bring to AC installs — sized to the house as it exists now, not the cabin it used to be. Modern units are dramatically better than what most lake homes are running: variable-speed compressors hold temperature within a degree, run quieter than a window fan, and keep producing efficient heat well below freezing. They're also the equipment class most likely to qualify for utility rebates and federal tax credits — heat pumps are what the incentive programs want you to buy. We'll tell you exactly what your options qualify for, and give you the honest payback math versus a base-model changeout.
Frequently Asked Questions
My heat pump is blowing lukewarm air in winter — is it broken?
Not necessarily. Heat pump supply air runs 85–95° — warmer than the room but cooler than your hand, so it can feel cool while heating fine. The real tests are whether the house holds temperature and what your bills are doing. If the house is losing ground or the outdoor unit is iced over, call us.
Is it normal for the outdoor unit to steam and hiss in winter?
Yes — that's the defrost cycle melting frost off the coil, and the cloud of steam looks alarming the first time. What's not normal: staying iced solid for hours, ice sheeting the whole unit, or defrost running every few minutes. Those mean a defrost control or charge problem worth a service call.
Are heat pumps really a good fit for Texas?
They're arguably in the best-fit climate in the country: our winters are mild enough that a heat pump handles nearly all heating hours at high efficiency, and in summer it's simply a high-efficiency AC. That's why the all-electric neighborhoods around Lake Granbury standardized on them decades ago.
What does "emergency heat" on my thermostat actually do?
It bypasses the heat pump and runs the electric resistance strips alone — about three times the operating cost. Use it when the heat pump itself has failed and you're waiting on service, not as a regular setting. If your system flips itself to auxiliary heat constantly in mild weather, something needs attention.
Related Services
Summer-side problems? See AC repair. Considering a full system swap? Installation & replacement. No heat or cooling right now? Emergency HVAC runs 24/7 — or request service online.