Can You Test A Heat Pump In The Summer Time
Last Updated on May 14, 2025 by Chad Peterson
You can test a heat pump in cool or heat mode, in summer or winter, with some limitations. But limit the heat mode run time in the summer. Let me explain:
In the summer, only run your heat pump in the heat cycle long enough to notice that it is heating. Too long would not be wise.
Why would you want to know if you’re heat pump is cooling in the winter? That’s something a technician might want to do while testing a heat pump’s reversing valve. Want to know what a reversing valve is? I wrote an article explaining them.
In the winter, technicians only run the heat pump system long enough to notice that it’s cooling or to defrost an ice pack on a coil. Why would you have an ice pack on a coil?
In winter, ice builds on the outdoor coil when outdoor temperatures dip below freezing. A heat pump has a defrost cycle where the reversing valve switches to cooling mode, melting the ice off the coil.
The colder it is outside, the longer the defrost cycle with most controls. Naturally, manufacturers are going to discourage anyone from running a heat pump in heat mode in the summer or cool mode in winter time. You just have to use the precautions discussed here.
How To Test A Heat Pump For Emergency Heat
Testing the emergency heat for a heat pump is a simple operation. It can be done without any tools. You basically go to your thermostat and switch it to the emergency heat setting and turn up the heat.
When you test a heat pump for emergency heat in this way, you know if all the elements in your electric furnace are powered up, but if you feel some heat, then you have confirmed that it’s turning on.
Either with your hand or a thermometer if you want to be technical, wait for about a full minute or so and you should begin to feel some heat coming out of your registers.
One thing you will not know without the tools is if all the heat is coming on or not. To know if all the heat is coming on you will need a volt meter and will have to remove the door to the air handler or furnace. This is a job for someone used to electricity or better yet a good heat pump service technician.
