Trane Heat Pump Repair Guide

We’ve been fixing Trane heat pumps since they made their first model -- XL1200. These are solid heating and cooling systems overall. But even the best equipment breaks sometimes. Especially heat pumps - they run all year round, cooling in summer, heating in winter. Twice the use, twice the wear and tear.

We’ve noticed some trends in Trane heat pump failures that we’ll share with you so that you can know what to expect when your system breaks down.

Heat Pump Not Heating

Cold night and the house won't warm up? Heat pump's running but you've got cold air coming out? Or maybe the auxiliary heat keeps kicking on and your electric bill is through the roof even though the house isn’t very warm.

• First thing to check is your thermostat settings. Make sure it's set to "heat" not "cool" or "auto". Sounds obvious, sure, but you'd be surprised how often that's the problem when we run a Trane heat pump repair call. Someone bumps the control thermostat and nobody notices the changed setting.
• Outdoor unit might be iced up. Heat pumps need to defrost regularly in cold weather. The outdoor coil gets frosty, then the system should automatically switch to defrost mode to melt it off. If the defrost control board fails, the whole thing turns into a block of ice. No heat transfer happening through a sheet of ice.
• Reversing valve sticks sometimes. That's the part that switches the system between heating and cooling. When it gets stuck, you might be pumping cold air into the house in winter. Not what you want. Sometimes banging on the valve unsticks it temporarily, but that's just postponing the inevitable.

Refrigerant Issues

Low refrigerant makes the system struggle. Heat pumps need the right charge to move heat properly. Too little, and they just can't capture enough heat from outside air to warm your house. Even worse in cold weather when there's less heat to grab in the first place.

Look for ice on the refrigerant lines. Some frost on the bigger line is normal in heating mode, but solid ice means trouble. Could be a leak somewhere. Finding refrigerant leaks is tricky business. Need special tools and know-how.

Heat Pump Not Cooling

Summer heat and the house feels like an oven. System runs but doesn't cool worth a darn. Frustrating problem we see all the time.

Dirty condenser coils are usually the culprit. The outdoor unit gets covered in dirt, dust, grass clippings, cottonwood fluff - you name it. The coils can't reject heat through a dirty coil. Spray it gently with a hose, but be careful not to bend those delicate fins.

Indoor coil gets just as dirty. They are harder to see since it's in your air handler, but just as important. When evaporator coils and fins get gunked up, air doesn't flow right and cooling suffers. Changing your filter regularly helps prevent this.

Fan motors wear out from constant use. Bearings get noisy, then seize up. Capacitors fail and the motor can't get started right. Listen for humming without spinning - that's a sure sign of capacitor problems.

The compressor works too hard when other parts of the system fail. Eventually it gives out too. A compressor replacement is one of the most expensive repairs on a Trane heat pump. Sometimes it makes more sense to replace the whole outside unit at that point.

Schedule central air repair through Sears Home Services when your Trane heat pump isn’t cooling well. We’ll get your system up and running again in no time.

Making Strange Noises

Trane units are pretty quiet when they're running right. New noises mean something's wrong, plain and simple.

• Banging or clanking usually means something's loose or broken inside. Fan blade hitting something, or a piece of mounting hardware came loose. Shut it down until it's fixed or you'll have bigger problems.
• Screaming or whistling sounds mean pressure problems. Refrigerant pressure too high or too low. Either way, not good. Could be a stuck reversing valve, bad metering device, or refrigerant issues. Needs professional diagnosis.
• Buzzing could be electrical. Contactor not closing right, or a part trying to start but not getting enough juice. Check for loose electrical connections if you're comfortable with that sort of thing. Otherwise, call a pro.
• Chattering from the outdoor unit in winter might just be the defrost cycle. That's normal. But constant clicking that never stops points to a relay or control board problem.

Tripping Breakers

Does your heat pump keep tripping the house circuit breaker? If you reset it, the unit runs a while, and the breaker trips again it's a warning sign that something is seriously wrong.

• Short circuits happen when wires get damaged or connections come loose. All that vibration from running constantly takes a toll. Old wiring gets brittle from heat and cold cycles.
• The compressor drawing too much power trips breakers too. When it struggles to start, it pulls extra amps. It could be mechanical problems inside the compressor, or electrical issues like a bad start capacitor.
• Fan motors do the same thing when their bearings start to go. More resistance means more power draw. Eventually the breaker says enough is enough and trips to protect itself.

Ground Faults

Ground faults are tricky. Water gets in where it shouldn't be. It could be rain leaking into the control box, or condensate dripping onto wiring. Either way, electricity finds a path it shouldn't take. Most breakers catch this and trip right away. Schedule service right away to fix this type of issue.

Frozen Indoor Coil

Has your indoor coil turned into a block of frost and ice with no air flowing through, no comfort happening. This is a common problem with all heat pumps, Tranes included.

Low airflow causes freezing. Dirty filter, closed vents, blower problems - anything that reduces air across the coil lets it get too cold. Ice forms, makes the problem worse in a vicious cycle.

Low refrigerant does it too. System needs the right charge to operate at the right temperature. Too low and the coil gets colder than it should, freezes up the condensation that normally just drips away.

A stuck metering device can't regulate refrigerant flow properly. Too much refrigerant hits the coil at once, temperature drops too low, and ice forms. The device usually needs replacement.

When you notice frost and ice on the indoor evaporator coils, schedule service right away to get the problem diagnosed and fixed quickly.

Thermostat Communication Problems

Newer Trane systems use advanced signal technology between components. This is pretty smart when everything is working right. It’s a total headache when the communication system fails.

• Wiring problems cause most communication failures. One loose connection anywhere in the chain and the whole system gets confused. Especially with the proprietary connections Trane uses.
• Power surges fry circuit boards. Lightning storms, grid problems, bad luck - they all cause power issues that these sensitive electronics hate. Surge protectors help, but they're not perfect.
• Software glitches happen too. Just like your computer needs updates, sometimes these systems need a reset or reprogramming. Not something most homeowners can handle themselves.

When To Call For Help

Some Trane heat pump issues you can handle. Keeping the coils clean, changing filters regularly, making sure nothing blocks airflow around the outdoor unit - basic maintenance stuff keeps things running right.

But for electrical problems, refrigerant issues, or anything involving the sealed system, calling us makes sense. Our appliance repair techs work on Trane heat pumps every day. Sears Home Services technicians are factory trained on all their systems including the most advanced new ones.

We stock parts for common Trane problems. Our techs usually fix things in one visit instead of ordering parts and coming back days later. Plus, we guarantee our work.

Give us a call when your Trane heat pump needs more than basic care. We'll get your home comfortable again without the headache of troubleshooting complex problems yourself. Doesn't matter if it's too hot, too cold, too noisy, or just plain not working - we've got you covered.