When it comes to your heat pump making unusual noises, there really aren’t any sounds that are good news. However, some are worse than others. Grinding is one sound in particular that can be very dangerous for your heat pump.
When you hear a grinding sound coming from your heat pump, it’s time to schedule heat pump service in Salt Lake City. You want to stay ahead of problems by addressing the sound sooner rather than later. You can keep reading to learn more about what causes grinding and why the sound is so dangerous for your heat pump.
Understand Grinding
Grinding occurs inside of a heat pump when two metal components are rubbing together and causing friction. There are a variety of different gears and parts inside of a heat pump that move together all day every day to heat and cool your home. But usually, they are lubricated so that they can work together smoothly without grinding.
But over time dust and dirt can get into your heat pump and in between these tiny grooves, ultimately drying up lubrication to create a grime. Eventually, this results in components that are grinding together instead of flowing smoothly. A grinding sound should be a major red flag that your heat pump needs service. Ideally, you should turn off your system completely when you hear a grinding sound and leave it off until our team can fix the problem.
The Danger of Lasting Damage
If you don’t address grinding right away, these components will wear down and damage one another. Components inside of your air conditioner were not made to grind together and the unmistakable sound means that something major is going wrong. Maybe you only hear grinding one time and you are hoping that the problem will go away. But it’s always better to be safe and have your unit checked out rather than ignoring the problem. If the components grind together long enough that they change shape or function, then the parts will have to be replaced instead of simply repaired.
Heat Pump Lifespan
Grinding does not just impact the components that are creating the sound. Grinding means that the components are not working efficiently and that in turn adds additional strain to the rest of your heat pump too. This strain can spread wear and tear throughout the system and this wear is not always reversible.
Sure, you can repair or replace the components that are grinding together, but the strain that the problem places on the rest of your heat pump may ultimately shorten the heat pump’s lifespan. Instead of lasting an average of 15 years, you may need to replace your heat pump sooner.
How to Prevent Grinding
The good news is, you can prevent grinding in one easy step. All you have to do is schedule tune-ups annually for your heat pump. Ideally, you want to schedule the service twice per year since your heat pump both heats and cools your home. One of the services is for your heat pump as an air conditioner and the other one is for your heat pump as a heater.
These maintenance appointments are an opportunity for us to identify early problems, such as dust and dirt buildup in between gears that can lead to grinding. When we can clean out these gears and re-lubricate them before the problem is too bad, we can prevent grinding altogether.
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