What to expect after a power outage

You lost power, it’s back on, now what?

In recent months, the Puget Sound area has encountered strong windstorms causing lengthy power outages around Whidbey and Fidalgo Islands. To help you understand what to expect with your ductless heat pump after a power outage, we will provide the steps you can take to resolve issues that may occur with your system once your power is restored.

In most cases, once power has been restored, the ductless heat pumps that Island Ductless installed will resume normal function, with the same settings as before, on their own. You will need to allow time for your system to ramp back up, factoring in current weather and the length of the power outage, as systems take a bit longer to begin putting out heat after a lengthy outage and in cooler weather. We suggest giving your system at least 15 minutes to begin heating.

When to act

System reboot

There are some instances after an outage when you will need to reboot your system. If you have allowed plenty of time (we suggest 15 minutes) for your system to recover and it is either not coming back on, displaying flashing green lights, or no green lights at all, we recommend you complete a system reboot. Follow these four steps to reboot your system:

1. Turn off all indoor units with your remote control.

2. Check the breakers in your electrical control panel to make sure everything is in the “on” position.

3. Go out to your outdoor unit/compressor and find the small power box that will be mounted very close to your outdoor unit; open the cover and turn the switch or breaker to the “off” position; allow at least 10 minutes, and then turn it back on. As an alternative, you can also disconnect the power at the breaker panel by turning off the breaker to the heat pump, leaving it off for at least 10 minutes, and then turning it back on.

4. Turn the indoor unit(s) back on.

If your heat pump is still not working properly after the system reboot, do not be alarmed, as other possible maintenance issues can occur with your heat pump during cooler weather. If you have completed the previous steps and your system is still not functioning, then please give us a call at (360) 321-4252.

In closing

Windstorms across the Puget Sound area have not been shy this winter, causing lengthy outages and leaving us looking forward to warmer days ahead. In most cases, when power has been restored, your ductless heat pump will resume normal function on its own, however, in other cases we hope our suggestions help guide your actions with your system. As always, reach out to us for additional help.