How to switch your heat pump to cool mode

Been enjoying the energy efficient heat coming from your heat pump this winter? Well it’s time to say goodbye to that for the year, because winter’s over – it’s time to switch over to cooling mode!

Switching your heat pump to COOL mode is easy. All you have to do is flip the switch on your thermostat to COOL! However, there’s one crucial mistake we see people make all the time – in addition to setting your thermostat to cool, you have to make sure the fan is set to the AUTO position instead of the ON position.  Why?

How Heat Pumps Dehumidify

When your heat pump fan is set to ON, the fan will run continuously even after your home is cooled down. The problem with this is it doesn’t allow the indoor evaporator coil to drain into the condensate pan. As you probably know, air conditioners and heat pumps do double duty in the summer of cooling and dehumidifying your home. However, if the water that ends up in your condensate pan isn’t allowed to drain, it will re-evaporate and move back into your home. This can lead to a number of problems, including mold growth in and around the coil cabinet, grills and bootboxes – not fun! If you set the fan to AUTO, it will shut down when it’s not needed, allowing the evaporator coil to completely drain before the next cycle. In fact, keeping your fan setting on AUTO instead of ON can reduce indoor humidity levels by 10 – 15%!

Many people think that keeping the fan on their Gaithersburg heat pump set to the ON position will keep them more comfortable throughout the year. Unfortunately, the opposite is true – when the fan is set to ON you could have major problems with humidity! Instead, keep your fan set to AUTO and call James A. Wheat & Sons every time you need heat pump service in Gaithersburg!