This is a one year old heat pump. When I got to the property, the heat pump was operating in normal mode. When I came around the rear of the house where the unit was located I noticed a lot of condensation streaming out of the base of the unit. Outside temperature was about 45 degrees.

I looked inside the unit and ice was barely forming on the refrigerant line. The unit was operating and when I walked away and the unit made an ugly (almost like a screech, but not real high pitched) noise like the compressor was coming on but with a vengeance (in addition to the operating sounds it was already making). The noise stopped and a few minutes later it made the noise again and then the unit sounded fairly normal. When I returned to the unit a few minutes later the refrigerant line inside the unit was iced over. When the unit kicked back off, the refrigerant line would thaw out. Is this normal?

If I understand correctly, heat pumps have a de-icing mode, but I have never seen it in play. Could this be what was happening? The heat pump was producing approximately 85 degree heat at the registers.

Eric

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