Your heat pump repair specialists in Portsmouth, NH. Free assessments, certified technicians, and guaranteed results.
Residents of Portsmouth, New Hampshire count on their heat pumps for year-round comfort, and KIC Refrigeration delivers the expert repair service needed to keep these systems operating at peak efficiency. From frozen outdoor coils and faulty expansion valves to inverter board failures, our technicians resolve every heat pump issue with precision diagnostics and manufacturer-specified repair procedures.
With a population of 23,288, Portsmouth is home to thousands of properties that depend on reliable heating and cooling. Our heat pump repair team in Portsmouth, NH combines local climate knowledge with NATE-certified expertise to deliver results that restore comfort and improve efficiency. Every project begins with a thorough system evaluation so we can recommend the right solution for your specific situation.
When you choose KIC Refrigeration for heat pump repair in Portsmouth, you get a team that shows up on time, diagnoses accurately, and treats your property with respect. We handle all the details — from equipment selection and permits to final commissioning and warranty registration — so you can focus on staying comfortable.
Our proven process ensures your heat pump repair project is done right the first time.
We test your heat pump in both heating and cooling modes, checking the reversing valve operation, defrost cycle initiation, and auxiliary heat engagement to isolate which mode and component is failing.
KIC Refrigeration performs a complete refrigerant circuit analysis on your Portsmouth, NH heat pump. We measure high-side and low-side pressures against the manufacturer target chart for current outdoor ambient temperature, calculate subcooling at the condenser and superheat at the evaporator, and use electronic leak detectors to locate any refrigerant loss.
Our Portsmouth technician installs the replacement part with proper brazing techniques for sealed-system components, recovers refrigerant before opening the circuit, pulls a 500-micron vacuum on reassembly, and recharges to the manufacturer-specified weight.
We run the heat pump through complete heating and cooling cycles, verify pressures match the manufacturer chart, confirm the defrost cycle activates correctly, and check the temperature differential across the coil meets specification.
Everything you need to know before scheduling heat pump repair for your property.
Heat pump repair in Portsmouth typically ranges from $150 to $600 for common component failures like run capacitors, contactors, defrost timers, and condenser fan motors. Reversing valve replacement is a more involved job that runs $800 to $2,000 including refrigerant recovery and recharge. Compressor replacement costs $1,500 to $3,000 depending on the unit tonnage, refrigerant type — whether R-410A or older R-22 — and whether a hard-start kit is needed. KIC Refrigeration provides a detailed written estimate with parts and labor itemized before any work begins at your Portsmouth property, so you know exactly what the repair will cost.
Yes. KIC Refrigeration provides 24/7 emergency heat pump repair in Portsmouth and surrounding New Hampshire communities every day of the year including holidays. A failed heat pump in freezing weather is a genuine emergency — indoor temperatures can drop below 40 degrees within hours, putting water pipes at risk of freezing and bursting. Our emergency technicians are dispatched with fully stocked vehicles carrying capacitors, contactors, defrost boards, fan motors, and refrigerant so the most common failures can be repaired on the first visit. Call our Portsmouth emergency line any time and we will have a technician on the way to your property as quickly as possible.
Heat pump icing is caused by conditions that prevent the defrost cycle from working correctly. The most common culprits are low refrigerant charge from a slow leak, a dirty or blocked outdoor coil that restricts airflow, a failed defrost control board or timer that does not initiate the defrost sequence, a stuck defrost relay, or a malfunctioning outdoor fan motor. In normal operation, the defrost cycle activates every 30 to 90 minutes during cold weather, reversing the system briefly to melt accumulated frost. When any component in this chain fails, ice builds up until the unit shuts down on high-pressure safety. KIC Refrigeration tests the complete defrost circuit and refrigerant charge at your Portsmouth, NH home to identify and fix the root cause.
The general rule is to repair if the system is under 10 years old and the repair costs less than 50 percent of a replacement. Heat pumps over 12 to 15 years old — especially units still running on R-22 refrigerant — are often better replaced with a new R-410A system that offers higher SEER2 and HSPF2 efficiency ratings and lower operating costs. A new variable-speed heat pump can reduce your Portsmouth energy bills by 30 to 40 percent compared to an aging single-stage unit. KIC Refrigeration gives honest repair-versus-replace advice based on your specific equipment age, condition, and repair history rather than pushing unnecessary replacements.
Real feedback from customers across the country about the quality of our work.
"KIC Refrigeration is the only HVAC company I will use going forward. They have done our furnace maintenance for three years without a single issue."
"AC tune-up before summer. Technician was early, finished in about forty-five minutes, and gave me a clean bill of health on the system. Easy process."
"KIC Refrigeration does our annual HVAC inspection every fall. They always find the small stuff before it becomes expensive. Peace of mind is worth it."