When the outdoor temperature is very cold, your heat pump will go through defrost cycles occasionally. All heat pumps must do this to ensure that the outdoor unit does not freeze up and it can continue to operate efficiently. A sign of this is the indoor unit fan turning off and the vane going into a horizontal position, this usually lasts for somewhere between 3 and 5 minutes. Your heat pump isn’t off, it will return to normal operation when the defrost cycle is complete. Do not adjust operation with the remote control or turn it off, this can restart the cycle. A correctly sized heat pump with good low temperature performance will have fewer defrost cycles and optimised heat output.
Even the best low temperature performing heat pump on the market, Mitsubishi Electric HyperCore, will still go into defrost mode. However the benefit of a low temperature performing heat pump is that because it is designed to deliver its full heat when the outdoor temperature is low, the run time between defrosts will be extended and the time spent in defrost significantly reduced. Meaning you get more heat, for longer.
A few tips to ensu
re that your heat pump goes through as few defrost cycles as possible;
- Smart temperature setting: 22oC is a comfortable living temperature and it will ensure you get the best performance from your heat pump. Save yourself power usage and get a good sleep by setting your heat pump at around 18oC overnight, studies have shown that this is the ideal temperature. It will also ensure that your heat pump will have less work to do when the cool morning hits!
- Timers: A 7-Day Timer is a useful, energy saving function which allows up to four settings (per 24-hour period) including start/stop operation and temperature changes. Ensuring higher comfort levels when you are home and energy reduction when you are not – saving you both time and money.
- Close all doors to the room that is to be heated: High Wall heat pumps are usually sized to heat one room only. The additional load created by having to bring a whole house up to the set temperature will increase the number of times it goes into defrost mode.
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