Heat Pump Not Working? Try These 3 Troubleshooting Tips
29 September 2026
Your heat pump has stopped working properly – but does it need a technician?
Sometimes a heat pump fault can be caused by something surprisingly simple. Before you book a service call, there are a few quick checks you can safely try yourself.
Here are our technicians’ top three heat pump troubleshooting tips.
1. Reset your heat pump
It sounds ridiculous but, sometimes, simply resetting your heat pump can clear a temporary fault.
Find the outdoor isolator switch for your heat pump and switch it off. Wait for at least three seconds, then turn it back on.
Give the heat pump a moment to restart and check whether it is now operating normally.
If the fault returns, or your heat pump still isn’t working correctly, don’t repeatedly reset it – it’s time to get it checked.
2. Check the batteries in your remote
It sounds obvious, but remote batteries are an easy thing to overlook.
If your heat pump isn’t responding properly to the remote, replace the batteries with new batteries from a well-known brand.
Don’t rely on batteries that have been sitting in a drawer for a long time. Even if they haven’t been used, older batteries may no longer have enough power to operate the remote reliably.
3. Check your heat pump settings
If your heat pump is running but isn’t heating your home, check that the remote is set correctly.
For heating, make sure:
- Mode: Heating – look for the sun symbol
- Fan: Set to one bar or higher
It’s surprisingly easy for the mode or fan settings to be accidentally changed, particularly if several people in the household use the remote.
Once you’ve corrected the settings, give your heat pump a little time to start producing warm air.
Heat pump still not working?
If you’ve tried these three troubleshooting steps and your heat pump is still showing a fault, not responding or not heating properly, it may need a diagnostic and repair visit.
A routine heat pump service is designed to clean and maintain an operational heat pump – it isn’t intended to diagnose or fix a heat pump that has already stopped working.
If your heat pump has a fault, let us know what’s happening when you contact us, including any fault code showing on the unit or remote. This will help our team determine the best next step.
If the heat pump is older, it may also be worth considering whether repair or replacement makes more sense.
Check out our guide to find out what happens at a heat pump service.
Does your heat pump need repairing – or replacing?
If your heat pump has developed a fault, its age and overall condition are worth considering before spending money on repairs.
Heat pumps typically have a lifespan of around 10–15 years, depending on how heavily they are used, how regularly they have been serviced, the quality of installation and the environment they operate in.
A fault in a relatively new, well-maintained heat pump will often be worth investigating and repairing. With an older system, however, replacement may be the better long-term option – particularly if:
- it is needing frequent repair
- parts are becoming difficult or expensive to source
- it no longer heats your home effectively
- it is unusually noisy
- your electricity bill has increased
- the cost of the repair is significant compared with replacing the unit.
If you’re unsure, our technicians can assess the heat pump and advise whether servicing, repair or replacement is the most sensible option.
