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Heating & Air Conditioning

winter & running condensor fan

14 years ago

Is there a situation in winter where a condensor unit's outside fan is supposed to be runing? Neighbor has two systems, one AC unit and one heat pump, but they don't know anything about how they work. The weather is freezing, we had some snow and ice, and the clanging of the ice chunks is noticeable. This apparently happens when the heat is turned on. Normal? Thanks.

Comments (4)

zl700
14 years ago
The fan will run on HP's as part of the defrost cycle, usually near the end.
weedmeister
14 years ago
The outdoor condenser fan on a HP will run all the time when the heat is on, unless there is a low temperature cutoff.
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dadoes
14 years ago
To clarify ... the condensor fan on a heat pump runs when in heating mode, same as it does when cooling in summertime. The condensor is actually functioning as an evaporator during heating mode. The fan typically turns OFF when defrosting, at which time it becomes a condensor again for the duration of the defrost period.
homebound
Original Author
14 years ago
Thank you, everyone.

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