Helpful Information

What is a heat pump and how does it work?
Imagine that you took an air conditioner and flipped it around so that the hot coils were on the inside and the cold coils were on the outside. Then you would have a heater. It turns out that this heater works extremely well. Rather than burning a fuel, what it is doing is “moving heat.”
A heat pump is actually an air conditioner that contains a valve (known as a reversing valve) that lets it switch between “air conditioner” and “heater.” When the valve is switched one way, the heat pump acts like an air conditioner, and when it is switched the other way it reverses the flow of the freon inside the heat pump and acts like a heater.
Heat pumps can be extremely efficient in their use of energy. But one problem with most heat pumps is that the coils in the outside air collect ice. The heat pump has to melt this ice periodically, so it switches itself back to air conditioner mode to heat up the coils. To avoid pumping cold air into the house in air conditioner mode, the heat pump also lights up burners or electric strip heaters to heat the cold air that the air conditioner is pumping out. Once the ice is melted, the heat pump switches back to heating mode and turns off the burners.

Proper Maintenance Is Vital
Many HVAC systems fail due to lack of proper filtering. Filters should be changed at least every 6 months. Amen Air recommends changing or cleaning your filters every 3 months. Having a proper maintenance schedule for your AC or heating unit is vital to keep a system running properly. Like getting your oil changed in your car, it keeps things running smoothly. Regular filter maintenance will also make your system run more efficiently and lower your electric bill.
You want to get your drains blown out and cleared to prevent water leaking in the hot summer months. Especially with the dust, sand and wind here in the desert.