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The compressor in a heat pump carries a different load than it does in a straight cooling system, because the same machine that handles summer heat rejection runs through a long, cold heating season too. Homes in St. Francois County, MO run heat about seven months a year, from October through April. Capacity drops as outdoor temperatures fall, which means the compressor works harder at the exact moments the house needs the most heat, cycling through that stress repeatedly across the season. A contractor diagnosing a repair here checks the reversing valve and compressor wear early, because those parts absorb the heating-side load directly and show it in ways refrigerant readings alone do not capture.
Ductwork in houses of this vintage has been moving air long enough to accumulate debris, collapsed flex sections, and leaks that put real load on whatever equipment runs through it. A heat pump struggling to maintain temperature is often doing so because the distribution system is restricting it. Half the homes in St. Francois County, Missouri were built in 1983 or earlier (2020-2024 ACS 5-year). When a contractor opens a heat pump here, the refrigerant circuit and the coil are on the list, but so is what the return and supply runs look like, because duct condition in stock this age can be the reason a repaired unit still underperforms after the obvious fix.
The Parts of a Heat Pump a Contractor Checks First
The outdoor unit sits outside the house and holds the compressor and condenser coil, the two components that do the heaviest work in the system. When a heat pump stops heating or cooling, a contractor starts here. A failed compressor, a refrigerant leak at the coil, or a burned contactor in this cabinet are common reasons the system quits.
The air handler lives inside, usually in a closet, utility room, or attic, and contains the blower fan and the evaporator coil that conditions the air moving through the house. The reversing valve, which sits inside the outdoor unit, is what lets a heat pump run in both directions, and a fault there can look like a straight loss of heat or cooling.
The drawing shows a typical heat pump layout, and a licensed contractor determines which components apply to your specific home and what each one needs.
Find a contractor in St. Francois CountySt. Francois County, by the numbers
83 severe weather events were recorded in St. Francois County, Missouri 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 St. Francois County, Missouri were built in 1983 or earlier (2020-2024 ACS 5-year).
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesSt. Francois County, Missouri holds 28,945 housing units (2020-2024 ACS 5-year).
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesOwners occupy 68.2% of the occupied homes in St. Francois County, Missouri (2020-2024 ACS 5-year).
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesSevere Weather Events in St. Francois County
Weather puts a load on heat pumps that mild conditions never would. How hard the equipment works, and how often it gets pushed to its limits, shapes what repairs look like here.
83 severe weather events, 2015–2024. Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database.