Many Tampa Bay homes are cooled and heated by a heat pump: an outdoor unit and an indoor air handler joined by copper lines. Take either one apart below and tap any part to see what it does, what goes wrong, and the warning signs to watch for.
The wire grille on top. It keeps hands, sticks and debris out of the fan while the hot air blows out the top.
What goes wrong
The grille itself rarely fails. Leaves and debris collect on it, and on many units the fan motor hangs from it, so a loose or rusted grille can make the fan rattle.
Warning signs
Never reach through the grille. The fan can start at any moment when the thermostat calls.
Spins the fan that moves outdoor air across the coil. Without it, the heat has nowhere to go.
What goes wrong
Bearings wear out and the motor can overheat after years of long Florida run times. A weak capacitor can also keep it from starting, which looks just like a dead motor.
Warning signs
Turn the system off and call us. Running without the fan can overheat the compressor.
Pulls air in through the sides of the unit, across the coil, and pushes it out the top.
What goes wrong
A bent, cracked or loose blade throws the fan off balance, and a blade that slips on its shaft stops moving enough air.
Warning signs
Closes off the top of the cabinet and holds the round opening the fan sits in, which shapes the airflow.
What goes wrong
It rarely fails. A dent or rust around the opening can let the blade rub.
Warning signs
Protect the coil's thin fins from lawn equipment, hail and pets while letting air flow in.
What goes wrong
Panels get dented. Behind them, grass clippings, leaves and dirt pack into the coil and block the air.
Warning signs
Copper tubes wrapped in thin aluminum fins. In Cool mode it releases the heat taken out of your home. In Heat mode it works in reverse and gathers heat from the outdoor air.
What goes wrong
Dirt and clippings clog the fins so the coil can't shed heat. Over time the tubes can corrode and leak refrigerant, and salt air near the coast speeds that up.
Warning signs
The heart of the system. It pumps refrigerant around the loop and squeezes it into a hot, high-pressure gas.
What goes wrong
Compressors usually fail because something else failed first: a weak capacitor, a stuck contactor, low refrigerant, a dirty coil or a dead fan that lets it overheat. Catching those early protects the most expensive part of the system.
Warning signs
Turn the system off and call us. Restarting a struggling compressor over and over can finish it off.
The part that makes a heat pump a heat pump. It flips the direction the refrigerant flows, so the same system cools in summer and heats in winter.
What goes wrong
The valve can stick in one position, or the electric coil that moves it can fail.
Warning signs
A small tank on the line back to the compressor. It catches liquid refrigerant so only vapor reaches the compressor, which protects it.
What goes wrong
It can rust through over the years and leak refrigerant.
Warning signs
Copper tubing that connects the compressor, reversing valve, accumulator and coil, carrying refrigerant around the loop.
What goes wrong
Vibration can rub a tube against another tube or the cabinet until it wears through, and joints can crack.
Warning signs
Where the copper lines from your indoor unit connect. Technicians hook up gauges here to check the system, and the valves can close to hold the refrigerant in the outdoor unit during repairs.
What goes wrong
Missing caps and worn valve cores let refrigerant slowly leak out.
Warning signs
Holds the electrical parts that switch the outdoor unit on and off: the contactor, the capacitor and, on a heat pump, the defrost board.
What goes wrong
Heat, moisture and insects get in, and wires can loosen or burn.
Warning signs
High voltage inside. Only a technician should open it, with the power off at the disconnect.
An electric switch. When your thermostat calls for cooling or heat, a small signal pulls it closed and sends full power to the compressor and fan.
What goes wrong
The contacts pit and burn over time. In Florida, ants are drawn to the electricity and get crushed between the contacts, which can stop the unit from starting.
Warning signs
High voltage. Turn the system off and call us.
Stores energy and releases it to help the compressor and fan motor start and keep running smoothly. On most units one can serves both.
What goes wrong
One of the most common AC repairs, especially in Florida heat. Capacitors weaken with heat and age, and the top can bulge or leak.
Warning signs
A capacitor holds a dangerous charge even with the power off. Don't touch it.
Heat pumps only. On cold, damp mornings in Heat mode, frost builds on the outdoor coil. This board senses it and briefly runs the system in reverse to melt it off.
What goes wrong
The board or its temperature sensor can fail, so the coil never gets defrosted.
Warning signs
Covers the control box and the line connections. The data plate with the model and serial number is usually here.
What goes wrong
It rarely fails. A loose or missing panel lets rain and pests into the electrical parts.
Warning signs
Only open it with the power off at the disconnect box beside the unit.
The steel base and corner posts that hold everything square and level on the pad. Holes in the base let rainwater drain out.
What goes wrong
Rust, and pads that settle and tilt the unit.
Warning signs
The insulated metal box, usually in a closet, garage or attic, that holds the indoor parts and keeps the air moving the right way.
What goes wrong
Gaps at the seams and panels pull in hot, humid air from around the unit, and rust starts where condensation sits.
Warning signs
The removable doors on the front of the air handler. Technicians take them off to reach the blower, coil and filter.
What goes wrong
A loose panel or missing screws let air leak in and out, and some units won't run the blower with a door off.
Warning signs
Turn off the power at the breaker before opening. The blower and heat strips run on high voltage.
Catches dust, pet hair and debris before they reach the coil and blower, and before they get blown back into your home.
What goes wrong
A clogged filter starves the system of air. The coil can freeze, the blower strains and cooling drops off.
Warning signs
Copper tubes and aluminum fins, often shaped like an A. In Cool mode, cold refrigerant inside it pulls heat and moisture out of the air blowing across it. In Heat mode it gives heat off instead.
What goes wrong
Dirt on the fins blocks the air. Low airflow or low refrigerant can make it freeze, and over time corrosion can open tiny leaks.
Warning signs
Sits where the liquid line enters the indoor coil. It meters how much refrigerant goes in and drops its pressure so it turns cold. On many systems it's an expansion valve (TXV) with a small sensing bulb.
What goes wrong
The valve can stick open or closed, or its sensing bulb can come loose or lose its charge.
Warning signs
Sits under the indoor coil and catches the water the coil pulls out of the air. In Florida's humidity, that is a lot of water.
What goes wrong
Algae and sludge build up in it, and older metal pans can rust through and leak.
Warning signs
The pipe that carries water from the drain pan to a drain or outdoors. The U-shaped trap keeps air from being pulled in through it.
What goes wrong
Florida's heat and humidity grow algae and slime inside it until it clogs. A clogged drain is one of the most common AC service calls here.
Warning signs
A safety switch on the drain pan or drain line. If water backs up, it shuts the system off before the pan overflows.
What goes wrong
Usually it's doing its job because the drain is clogged. Now and then the switch itself sticks.
Warning signs
Turn the system off and call us. A tripped float switch means water has nowhere to go.
The squirrel-cage wheel and its housing. It pulls air from your home through the filter and coil and pushes it out through the ducts.
What goes wrong
Dust cakes onto the blades so it moves less air, and wheels can crack or work loose on the shaft.
Warning signs
Spins the blower wheel. Many newer motors adjust their speed to match what the system needs.
What goes wrong
Bearings wear, the motor overheats or its electronics fail. On older motors a weak capacitor can keep it from starting.
Warning signs
Turn the system off and call us. Without the blower the indoor coil can freeze.
Electric heating elements that act as backup heat. They help on the coldest mornings, take over in emergency heat, and warm the air while the outdoor unit defrosts.
What goes wrong
Elements burn out, and the safety limits and relays that switch them can fail.
Warning signs
High voltage and very hot. Never reach into the air handler with the power on.
The air handler's brain. It takes signals from the thermostat and turns on the blower and heat strips. The small transformer beside it powers the thermostat.
What goes wrong
Power surges and lightning damage boards, and a short in the thermostat wiring can blow its small fuse or the transformer.
Warning signs
High voltage. Leave it to a technician.
The sheet-metal box on top of the air handler where the conditioned air leaves and splits into the supply ducts.
What goes wrong
Gaps and torn insulation leak cool air into the closet or attic, and the metal sweats.
Warning signs
The control on your wall. It reads the room and tells the system when to cool, heat or just run the fan.
What goes wrong
Dead batteries, a loose wire, the wrong setting, or a spot in the sun or a draft that fools its sensor.
Warning signs
Two copper lines that run between the units. The larger, insulated line carries refrigerant vapor; the smaller one carries liquid. A thin wire beside them lets the thermostat switch the outdoor unit on and off.
What goes wrong
Sun and weather break down the insulation, lines get kinked or crushed, and joints can leak.
Warning signs
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