Heat Pump Not Heating? We’ll Find Out Why — Today.
Cold house, aux-heat light glowing, electric bill climbing — we get it. We come out, find what’s wrong, and tell you the fix in plain English.
Same-day heat pump diagnostic + $50 off any repair — reversing valve, defrost board, refrigerant, compressor. Written estimate before any work begins.
Same-day service often available — call early for best odds.
Request Heat Pump Diagnostic
$50 off any repair. Written estimate before any parts go in.
Or call us now: (434) 505-4780
Andrew W. was the tech who came to my house. He was very pleasant, on time, and I feel the price for the work was fair. When I had price questions, Andrew walked me through exactly what he was going to do and what I was paying for. No surprises — everything was crystal clear.
Why Central Virginia homeowners choose The Otter Guys
65+ years repairing heat pumps in Central Virginia
Since 1960, we’ve fixed every heat pump Trane, Carrier, Lennox, Goodman, Rheem, Bryant, and American Standard have made — air-source, dual-fuel, and ductless mini-split. Whatever’s wrong, we’ve diagnosed it before.
Same-day diagnostic — $50 off any repair
We come out today, run a full heat pump diagnostic — reversing valve, defrost board, refrigerant pressures, compressor, aux strips — and give you a written estimate before any parts go in. Diagnostic fee comes off the bill.
Thorough diagnostics — root cause, not just the symptom
We don’t just chase the symptom that triggered the call. Our technicians walk the entire system — refrigerant charge, defrost cycle, reversing valve, electrical, airflow, and the suspected component — so we find the actual root cause. That’s how we keep callbacks low and avoid the recurring issues that come from incomplete diagnoses. If a part is bad, we replace it. If your heat pump is 10+ years old and out of warranty, we’ll show you honest repair-vs-replace numbers in writing and let you decide.
Repair Warranty
On all heat pump repairs and parts
Licensed & Insured
VA License #2705181379
BBB A+ Rated
Accredited business
Charlottesville’s Finest
Gold Award 2023–2025
Heat pump symptoms we diagnose every winter
Blowing Cold Air on Heat Mode
Set to heat, getting cold air. Usually a stuck reversing valve, low refrigerant, or failed defrost cycle. We test the valve solenoid first.
Stuck on Aux / Emergency Heat
Aux heat is electric resistance — expensive to run continuously. If it won’t go back to heat-pump mode, your bill spikes. Usually a thermostat, sensor, or defrost issue.
Outdoor Unit Won’t Reverse
Heat pump should switch from cooling to heating via the reversing valve. Stuck valve = no mode switch. Sometimes a tap, sometimes a solenoid swap, sometimes a valve replacement.
Short Cycling
Heat pump runs 1–3 minutes, shuts off, repeats. Causes: refrigerant charge, control board, oversized aux strips, dirty filter. We diagnose root cause, not just symptoms.
Outdoor Unit Won’t Start
Indoor blower runs but outdoor unit is silent. Capacitor, contactor, control board, or compressor. We test the cheap parts first — most fixes are under $500.
Ice Buildup on Outdoor Unit
A little frost is normal in winter. Solid ice covering the coil = failed defrost cycle. Defrost board, sensor, or stuck reversing valve. Quick fix when caught early.
What our heat pump repair customers say
Quick response and a wonderfully friendly tech! Walked me through what was wrong, gave me a fair price up front, and had heat back on within the visit. Honest people doing honest work — will absolutely use them again.Soni L.
Devin did a thorough job evaluating our heat pump to make sure everything was operating properly. He went above and beyond what we expected. Great service — we will definitely use Otter Guys in the future!Jamie R.
Michael was fantastic — took the time to thoroughly assess our heat pump system and walk through what needed fixing now versus what could wait. No high-pressure pitch. Great service and staff.AJ M.
Here’s exactly what happens when you call
Same-day heat pump diagnostic
A licensed technician comes out, runs a full diagnostic — reversing valve, defrost board, refrigerant pressures, contactor, capacitor, compressor amp draw, aux heat strips, thermostat — and confirms what’s actually failed. No guessing.
Your options and pricing in writing
Before any work begins, you get a written estimate. For most heat pump issues there’s 1–2 repair paths; if your system is past 12 years and the repair is significant, we’ll show you all your options — repair vs. replace — with the math in writing, and let you pick what fits your comfort and budget.
The repair
Once you approve, we make the repair, run a full mode test (heat, cool, defrost, aux), verify proper operation, and take the $50 off your final bill. Most heat pump repairs finish the same visit.
Heat pump down? Get a real diagnosis and $50 off any repair.
Running a heat pump on aux strips because the defrost cycle failed is like burning electric heat 24/7 — bills spike, the compressor still runs, and small problems get bigger. We’ll find the actual problem, fix what’s broken, and not upsell you to a new system.
Frequently asked questions
Capacitor: $300–$450. Contactor: $300–$450. Defrost board: $400–$700. Defrost sensor: $250–$400. Reversing valve solenoid: $350–$600. Reversing valve replacement: $1,200–$2,200. Refrigerant leak repair + recharge: $400–$1,200. Compressor: $1,800–$3,500. Aux heat strips: $400–$900. Our diagnostic confirms exactly what failed before we quote — you see the real number in writing. $50 off any repair after the diagnostic.
Aux heat (electric resistance) is supposed to kick in only when the heat pump can’t keep up — below ~25°F outside, or during defrost cycles. If it’s on continuously when it’s 40°+ outside, something’s wrong: a stuck reversing valve, failed defrost sensor, low refrigerant, bad outdoor thermostat, or a control board calling for aux when it shouldn’t. We test each in sequence and fix the actual cause — not just bypass aux mode.
We lead with repair when a repair is the right call. But we’re not anti-replacement — if you’ve got a 10+ year old heat pump with a $2,000+ repair on the table, or compressor failure on an aging system, replacement often makes more sense and we’ll say so. Our job is to diagnose thoroughly, show you every finding in writing, lay out your repair-and-replace options side by side, and let you pick what fits your home and budget.
Often yes — for urgent no-heat calls we dispatch same-day when we can, especially for homes with elderly residents, young children, or anyone with a medical need. Call our dispatcher and tell them what’s going on; they’ll give you the earliest realistic slot and move genuine safety calls up the board.
Yes. 5–15 year financing with competitive rates, approved in about 2 minutes. For larger repairs (compressor, reversing valve, full coil) this keeps your out-of-pocket manageable. Your technician walks through options during the visit.
Whatever’s wrong with your heat pump, we’ve fixed it before. Over 65 years — and through every cold snap Central Virginia has thrown at us — we’ve diagnosed and repaired thousands of heat pumps. We’ve kept as many running past their “replace it” decade as we’ve replaced. You don’t have to figure out what’s wrong, and you don’t have to live on aux heat.