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A heat pump working a long heating season in cold mountain air runs its compressor and reversing valve hard, cycling between heating and defrost mode repeatedly across months when outdoor temperatures challenge rated capacity. Homes in Washoe County, NV run heat about eight months a year, from October through May. The refrigerant circuit and the defrost board are where a contractor looks first, because those are the components that absorb the load when the unit is working against cold outdoor air rather than coasting through mild weather. Wear on the reversing valve shows up as a system that heats weakly before it stops heating altogether, and a contractor who skips refrigerant pressures and defrost cycle timing will misread the fault.
Ductwork in a house this old has been moving air through connections, seals, and lining that were put in for whatever system came first, not the heat pump running through them now. Half the homes in Washoe County, Nevada were built in 1991 or earlier (2020-2024 ACS 5-year). When a contractor opens the unit and traces the fault, the condition of that duct system frequently changes what the repair actually covers, because degraded seals or collapsed flex sections can produce the same symptoms as a failing component. The unit gets opened; so does the question of what is carrying its output.
The Parts of a Heat Pump a Contractor Checks First
The outdoor unit is the piece most homeowners recognize, a cabinet that sits on a pad outside the house. It holds the compressor, which moves refrigerant through the system, and the condenser coil wrapped around it. When a heat pump struggles to heat or cool, the compressor and that coil are where a contractor starts.
Inside, the air handler hangs in a closet, attic, or utility room and contains the indoor coil and the blower that moves air across it. The reversing valve, housed in the outdoor unit, is the part that lets the system run in both directions. The expansion valve and refrigerant lines connecting the two units round out what a contractor works through during a repair call.
The drawing shows a typical layout, and a licensed contractor determines exactly which components apply to your home and what each one needs.
Get matched in Washoe CountyWashoe County, by the numbers
579 severe weather events were recorded in Washoe County, Nevada between 2015 and 2024.
NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database, bulk CSV export, events 2015-01-01 through 2024-12-31.Half the homes in Washoe County, Nevada were built in 1991 or earlier (2020-2024 ACS 5-year).
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesWashoe County, Nevada holds 218,165 housing units (2020-2024 ACS 5-year).
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesOwners occupy 59.9% of the occupied homes in Washoe County, Nevada (2020-2024 ACS 5-year).
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesRules & Standards Governing Heat Pump Repair in Washoe County, Nevada1 sourced rules and standards
Licensing and Legal Requirements in Washoe County, Nevada
In Nevada refrigeration and air-conditioning work is specialty contracting, and a general building contractor may not perform it without holding the licence for that specialty.
Severe Weather Events in Washoe County
Weather places real demands on heat pump equipment, and those demands vary by location. How hard a system works over time shapes what it needs in the way of repair.
579 severe weather events, 2015–2024. Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database.