Heating services
Heat Pump Repair
in the Capital Region, NY
Heat pump repair across Albany and the Capital Region, for a unit that has stopped heating, stopped cooling, frozen over or thrown an error code. Licensed technicians repair ducted and ductless systems of all major brands, diagnose first, give one flat price before work begins and offer same-day service within business hours when the schedule allows.
Licensed & Insured
Family-Owned Since 2006
Same-Day Service
Do any of these sound familiar?
Signs it’s time to call a pro
Most problems give you warning signs — catch one early and you often avoid a bigger repair.
Heat pump not heating, or blowing cold air in heat mode
A heat pump that will not switch modes or gives weak output often has a reversing-valve, refrigerant or compressor fault. A short blast of cooler air during a defrost cycle is normal.
Iced-over outdoor unit
Light frost that clears is normal. Heavy ice that will not clear points to a defrost-cycle or sensor fault, which is common in our winters and repairable.
Running constantly or short cycling
Low refrigerant, a stuck valve or a control fault makes the unit run nonstop or cut out early.
Error code, blank display or will not start
Heat pumps flash fault codes. We read them, confirm the cause and fix it.
Strange noises or a sudden jump in the electric bill
Grinding, buzzing or a sudden bill increase signals a failing component worth addressing before it spreads.
Backup or emergency heat running constantly
If the auxiliary or emergency-heat light stays on, the heat pump is not keeping up. That is often a refrigerant-charge or defrost problem we can fix.
Our work, done right
What’s included in our service
Heat pump repair starts with a diagnosis, not a guess. We check the thermostat settings and airflow, the outdoor coil and fan, the defrost control and sensors, the reversing valve, the refrigerant charge, the electrical parts and the compressor, then tell you what failed and what the fix costs before any repair begins. Empire State Plumbing repairs ducted and ductless heat pumps of all major brands for homes in Albany, Schenectady, Troy and the rest of the Capital Region.
The repairs we make are defrost-cycle and sensor faults, reversing-valve faults, refrigerant leaks and recharge, capacitors, control boards and compressor diagnosis. A heat pump works in both seasons, so the same parts can fail in winter or summer. For a cooling-only fault on a central air conditioner, see AC repair.
This page is for repairing a heat pump you already have. Planning a new system or replacing an old one? See heat pump installation. A ductless mini-split that has stopped working has its own page: mini-split repair.
- Expert heating technicians
- Same-day service for your urgent needs
- Financing options available
- Fully licensed & insured
- Serving the Capital Region since 2006
Heat pump repair: quick checks and what the parts do
A few checks are safe for a homeowner. Beyond them, a heat pump has parts that need a technician.
Quick checks before you call
Make sure the thermostat is set to heat and asking for a temperature above the room’s. Swap out a dirty filter. Keep snow, leaves and debris away from the outdoor unit, and leave any ice on it alone.
Ice, short cycling and cold air
A light frost that clears in a defrost cycle is normal. Heavy ice, a unit that cycles on and off quickly, or lukewarm air in heating mode points to a defrost control, sensor or refrigerant problem.
Reversing valve and refrigerant
The reversing valve switches the unit between heating and cooling. If it sticks, you get cold air in winter or warm air in summer. Low refrigerant means a leak, which has to be found and repaired, not just topped up.
Yearly service
A heat pump works in both seasons, so it benefits from a yearly check. Our maintenance plan sets one up.
Heat pump not heating: what the symptom usually means
The symptom narrows the list of causes, which is how a technician starts. These are the common patterns.
Blowing cold air in heat mode
A brief cool blast during a defrost cycle is normal. Air that stays cool points to low refrigerant, a stuck reversing valve or a failing compressor. Shut the unit off and call.
Frozen outdoor unit
Thick ice that will not clear means the defrost control or a sensor is not doing its job. Do not chip at the ice or pour hot water on the coil.
Backup heat stays on
The auxiliary or emergency-heat stage is meant to help on the coldest days. If it runs constantly, the heat pump itself is not keeping up.
Won’t start or keeps tripping the breaker
Dead outdoor units are often a failed capacitor, a contactor or a control board. A breaker that trips again after a reset is a fault to leave off until it is checked.
More Services
More ways we can help
Heating system
Heat pump
- Heat Pump Repair
- Heat Pump Installation
Thermostat
What happens when you call
From your first call to the final cleanup, here’s exactly how we work — no surprises and no upsells.
Same-day diagnosis
We read codes and test refrigerant, the reversing valve, defrost controls, and electrical to pinpoint the fault.
Same day appointments
Need it fixed today? We hold same-day slots for urgent repairs across the Capital Region.
Upfront flat quote
You approve a flat price before we start.
Repair
We replace the failed part, recharge, or correct the defrost/control fault and restore both heating and cooling.
Test & tips
We verify the fix in both modes and share upkeep to prevent repeat issues.
How to decide
Repair or replace? How to decide
Many heat pump problems, such as defrost faults, sensors, refrigerant and capacitors, are straightforward repairs. Replacement comes up when a compressor fails on an older heat pump and the repair bill closes in on a new system, and we say so plainly. Adding or upgrading a system? See heat pump installation.
Straight talk on price
What does it cost?
What a heat pump repair costs follows the fault. A capacitor or sensor sits at the low end, a reversing valve or refrigerant leak in the middle, and a failed compressor at the top. You see one flat price after diagnosis and before the work starts, and larger repairs can be financed.
Local know-how
Heat pump repair in the Capital Region
Capital Region winters work heat pumps hard. Defrost-cycle faults and iced-over outdoor units in deep cold are the classic cold-weather problems here, and a correct defrost setup plus a seasonal check keeps a heat pump heating efficiently through the winter.
Schedule your heat pump repair today
Got a problem that can’t wait? Book online in under a minute.
Real homeowners
What Capital Region homeowners say
Verified Google reviews from Capital Region homeowners.
Plans & Financing
Two ways to avoid the surprise bill
Join our maintenance plan for yearly tune-ups and big savings, or choose flexible financing that fits your budget with quick pre-qualification. Smart options that help protect your home, your time, and your wallet.
Empire Express Club
Best value
Regular care. Real savings. Total peace of mind.
- Furnace tune-up every year
- Priority scheduling
- 15% off every repair
- 2-year warranty on repairs (vs. 1 year)
- 100% satisfaction guarantee
Financing options
Flexible payment plans to fit your budget.
- $0 down for qualified buyers
- Low monthly payments
- Quick pre-qualification, no credit impact
Financed through Acorn Finance · Service Finance
Subject to credit approval. For qualified buyers.
Heat pump repair in Albany, Schenectady and Troy
A heat pump repair goes the same way anywhere: diagnosis, a flat price you approve, the fix, and a test in the mode that was failing. Each town has a heating page of its own.
Questions we hear
Heat pump repair questions, answered
The things Capital Region homeowners ask us most about repair, replacement and cost.
Often a stuck reversing valve, low refrigerant, or a defrost fault. We test each and fix the cause.
Light frost is normal and the defrost cycle clears it. Heavy, persistent ice means a defrost-sensor or control fault — we diagnose and repair it.
It can be a defrost cycle, which briefly sends cooler air, or the unit may be low on refrigerant or have a stuck reversing valve. If the air stays cool, shut the unit off and call us.
In cold weather the outdoor coil collects frost, so the heat pump briefly reverses to melt it. You may see steam off the unit or feel a short blast of cooler air indoors, and the cycle ends on its own after a short while. A defrost cycle that never ends, or ice that keeps building, means a sensor or control fault that needs repair.
Auxiliary heat is a backup stage, usually electric strips or a gas furnace, that helps the heat pump when the outdoor air is very cold or during defrost. Emergency heat is the setting that runs only the backup. If the auxiliary light stays on in mild weather, or the emergency setting is the only one that works, the heat pump has a fault and should be checked.
It depends on the fault: a capacitor or a sensor costs less than a reversing valve or a refrigerant leak, and a compressor costs the most. We diagnose first and give one flat price, which you approve before any repair begins. When the repair is not worth making on an older unit, we tell you, and heat pump installation is the next step.
Yes — both, all major brands, single- and multi-zone.
Yes. We work from Nassau, NY (Rensselaer County) and take heat pump repairs in Albany, Schenectady, Troy, Saratoga Springs, Clifton Park and the towns around them. Same-day service is offered within business hours when the schedule allows. Call (518) 482-4205 or see the Albany and Schenectady heating pages.
Call (518) 482-4205 on a weekday between 7:30am and 6pm and we will say whether a same-day slot is open, since the schedule decides. Many heat pump faults can be diagnosed on the first visit, and we tell you what we find before any repair starts.
Once a year is the usual advice. A heat pump runs for heating and cooling, so its coil, filter, drain, electrical parts and refrigerant charge are worth checking before the main season. See our maintenance plan.
Yes, because the same parts work in both modes. For cooling-only faults on a central AC, see AC repair.
Most faults are worth repairing. We only recommend replacement when a compressor fails on an older unit — and we’ll tell you honestly.
Where we work
Heating across New York's Capital Region
Heat pump repair visits cover Saratoga Springs, Clifton Park, Colonie and Delmar as well as the cities of Albany, Schenectady and Troy, dispatched from Nassau, NY (Rensselaer County).
Hours
- Monday – Friday
- 7:30am – 6pm
- Saturday – Sunday
- Closed
Do we come to you?
Not sure we cover your town? Call and we will tell you.
Pick your town
See the full service areaAlbany
Clifton Park
Colonie
Delmar
East Greenbush
Hudson
Nassau
Rensselaer
Saratoga Springs
Schenectady
Schodack
Troy
Book online
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Tell us what is going on and when works for you. A real Empire State Plumbing dispatcher confirms your same-day or next-available slot during business hours.
- Same-day serviceOpen slots across all 6 counties
- Upfront, flat pricingApproved before any work starts
- Licensed & insured techsBackground-checked, every time
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