The short answer
A Goodman or Amana heat pump in Northern Virginia that runs but won’t warm the house is most often defrosting, and that’s normal: it melts the frost off the outdoor coil, and Goodman caps a defrost at 10 minutes. If it’s cold the whole time it runs, the usual causes are low refrigerant from a leak, or a defrost board or reversing valve that’s stuck. A defrost board is $450 to $1,150, a refrigerant top-up is $190 to $740, and a visit starts with a $99 diagnostic.
First: is it just defrosting?
In heating mode the outdoor coil runs colder than the air around it, and on a cold, damp day it frosts over. A Goodman clears that frost on a timer. The board counts how long the compressor has run with the coil cold, about 31 degrees, and after 30, 60 or 90 minutes of that (two-stage models add 120) it switches to defrost. The outdoor fan stops, the reversing valve shifts so the coil warms up, and on communicating systems the air handler brings on its electric heat. Defrost ends when the coil reaches about 75 degrees, or after 10 minutes at the most. That’s from Goodman’s two-stage heat pump installation guide and its service manual for communicating units.
What you notice from the yard, in our techs’ words: the fan stops, there’s a whoosh when the valve shifts, and a cloud of steam comes off the unit. Inside, the air may feel cooler for a few minutes.
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| What you see | Normal or not |
|---|---|
| The outdoor fan stops, the unit steams, and heat comes back after a few minutes | Normal. That’s defrost. |
| Air from the vents feels warm, not hot | Normal for a heat pump. Its air runs cooler than a gas furnace’s, on longer cycles. |
| The thermostat shows aux heat on the coldest mornings | Normal. The electric heat is helping, or taking over. |
| The coil is iced solid and stays that way for hours | Not normal. Defrost isn’t working: the board, its sensor or the reversing valve. |
| It blows cool air the whole time it runs | Not normal. That’s a call. |
The $67 Heating Check
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Why it leans on electric heat in the cold
On a Goodman communicating system the installer sets a balance point. When it’s colder outside than that, the heat pump shuts off and only the electric heat in the air handler runs. Goodman ships it at 0 degrees, and an installer can raise it. Two-stage communicating units also lock out low stage under 37 degrees, so they run on high, per the same service manual. Our aux heat versus emergency heat guide explains what the thermostat is telling you.
What causes it
Goodman’s troubleshooting chart for a heat pump that runs but blows cold air in heating lists the reversing valve, the defrost control and its sensor, a refrigerant charge that’s short or over, air in the system, the compressor, and an open electric heat element or limit. Here’s the whole list, most common first.
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| Cause | How you’d know | What fixing it costs |
|---|---|---|
| The thermostat | Set to Cool or Off, the fan on On, or dead batteries | Often nothing; $300 to $640 to replace one |
| A tripped breaker | The outdoor unit is silent while the indoor fan runs | Nothing, if it holds after one reset |
| A failed capacitor | The outdoor unit hums, but the fan or compressor won’t start | $240 to $370 to replace it |
| A worn contactor, the outdoor relay | The outdoor unit stays silent and the electric heat carries the house | $290 to $425 to replace it |
| A clogged filter | Weak airflow at every vent | A new filter, which you can change yourself |
| Low refrigerant from a leak | Warm, not hot, all the time; long runs; ice in odd spots | $190 to $740 to top it up. Finding and fixing the leak is $1,850 to $2,700. From about $31 a month at 0% APR for 60 months, the whole price financed, on approved credit. |
| A defrost board or its sensor | The coil ices over and never clears | $450 to $1,150 for a board |
| A stuck reversing valve | Cool air the whole time it runs, frost or not | Priced in writing before any work starts |
| The outdoor fan motor | The compressor runs, the fan doesn’t, and the coil ices | $1,100 to $1,500 for a motor |
| The compressor | It hums and clicks off, or runs with no heat at all | With the part under warranty, $1,900 to $2,500. From about $32 a month at 0% APR for 60 months, the whole price financed, on approved credit. Without, $2,200 to $5,100. From about $37 a month at 0% APR for 60 months, the whole price financed, on approved credit. |
| The electric heat in the air handler | Fine in mild weather, cold on the coldest nights | Priced in writing before any work starts |
A heat pump 10 to 15 years old with a big repair on the table is where replacement comes up. A new heat pump is $8,499 to $21,650. From about $142 a month at 0% APR for 60 months, the whole price financed, on approved credit. The tech gives you both prices in writing.
What you can check yourself
The outdoor unit has high voltage and refrigerant under pressure inside, so the line for a homeowner is the outside of the cabinet.
- The thermostat. Heat mode, set warmer than the room, fan on Auto, fresh batteries.
- Give defrost 10 minutes. If the outdoor fan stopped and the unit is steaming, wait it out.
- The breakers. One for the outdoor unit, one for the air handler. Reset a tripped one once. If it trips again, leave it off and call.
- The filter. If you can’t see light through it, replace it.
- The outdoor unit. Clear snow and leaves away from it. Don’t chip ice off the coil; the fins bend and the tubing can puncture. Our heat pump covered in ice guide covers how much is normal.
- Stay warm. Emergency heat on the thermostat runs the electric heat by itself. It costs more to run, so use it only until the repair.
What a tech does on the visit
The tech reads any code on the outdoor board (our Goodman heat pump codes post lists them), checks the thermostat and the electric heat, then tests the outdoor unit: the capacitor and contactor, the refrigerant pressures and temperatures, and a forced defrost to watch the board and the reversing valve switch. You get the price in writing first.
Our heating check is $67 per system through December 31, for a furnace, heat pump or boiler.
We fix Goodman and Amana heat pumps across Northern Virginia, in Ashburn, Leesburg, Sterling, Herndon, Chantilly, Fairfax, Arlington and Manassas. Our heat pump repair page has the rest, and our heat pumps in a Virginia winter guide covers what to expect when it’s cold. If a Goodman gas furnace is your backup heat, its codes are in our Goodman furnace codes chart.
More Goodman and Amana, one problem at a time: pressure switch: 3 flashes or EE2; limit switch: 4 flashes or EE3; lockout and weak flame: 1 flash, EE0, EE6; solid red light, no light or rapid flashing; rollout switch: 6 flashes or E11; Goodman heat pump and AC codes; flame sensor: 7 flashes or EE6; display codes: 1dL, 9H, F02; how to reset a Goodman furnace; inducer motor noises and codes; troubleshooting by symptom; Amana furnace codes; a Goodman furnace that keeps shutting off; a Goodman furnace blowing cold air; how old is my Goodman: the serial number. Other brands are in our error codes and warning lights guide.
Get it fixed
Call (703) 997-9757 and we’ll get a tech out to get your Goodman heat pump heating again. We answer day or night. Rather book online? Pick a time here and a box of warm cookies comes with the visit. A repair visit starts with our $99 diagnostic, and you get the price in writing before any work starts. Already have a quote? We’ll give you a free second opinion. Rated 5.0 stars across 1,138 reviews on Google, Angi, Yelp, the BBB and Facebook, Virginia Class A license 2705192276.
Questions people ask
Why is my Goodman heat pump running but not heating?
If the outdoor fan stopped and the unit is steaming, it’s defrosting, and Goodman ends a defrost after 10 minutes at the most. If it blows cool air the whole time it runs, Goodman’s chart points to the reversing valve, the defrost control, the refrigerant charge or the compressor, and that’s a call.
Why does my heat pump stop and steam in the winter?
That’s defrost. The outdoor coil frosts over in cold, damp weather, and the board melts it off on a timer, after 30 to 120 minutes of run time with the coil cold. The fan stops, and the steam is the frost melting.
How long does a Goodman heat pump defrost last?
Goodman ends defrost when the coil warms to about 75 degrees, or after 10 minutes, whichever comes first. If the coil is iced solid and never clears, the defrost board, its sensor or the reversing valve needs a look.
Why does the air from my heat pump feel cool?
Heat pump air runs cooler than a gas furnace’s, so it can feel cool on your hand even while it’s heating. If the house won’t hold temperature, or the air is cool the whole time it runs, have it checked.
How much does it cost to fix a Goodman heat pump that won’t heat?
A capacitor is $240 to $370, a contactor is $290 to $425, and a defrost board is $450 to $1,150. A refrigerant top-up is $190 to $740, but a leak gets found first. The diagnostic is $99, and the price is in writing before any work starts.
