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On a heat pump, the heating season is the hard half: outdoor temperatures fall, capacity follows, and the refrigerant circuit works against that gap every cycle. Homes in Union County, MS run heat about seven months a year, from October through April. The reversing valve switches the system from heating to cooling and back, and a long heating season puts that component through more cycles than most homeowners account for. A contractor diagnosing a heat pump here looks at the valve, the refrigerant charge, and the defrost board before drawing any conclusions about compressor replacement, because those components absorb the heating load directly.
Half the homes in Union County, Mississippi were built in 1985 or earlier (2020-2024 ACS 5-year). A house that old is likely on its second or third heat pump by now, which means the unit running in it was installed into infrastructure that was never designed around it. When a contractor opens a heat pump in stock like this, the question is not just what failed but whether a replacement part for that specific system is still being made. Refrigerant line fittings, control boards, and reversing valves on older retrofit installs can be model-specific in ways that add days to a repair and change what the job costs.
The Parts of a Heat Pump a Contractor Checks During Repair
The outdoor unit is where most homeowners look first when something goes wrong. It holds the compressor, which moves refrigerant through the system, and the condenser coil, which releases or absorbs heat depending on the season. When a heat pump stops heating or cooling, the compressor and that coil are where a contractor starts.
Inside the house, the air handler contains the evaporator coil and the blower fan, which pulls air across the coil and pushes it through the home. The reversing valve, which sits in the outdoor unit, is what allows the system to switch between heating and cooling modes. A failed reversing valve is a repair the contractor will check for when the system runs but delivers the wrong temperature.
The drawing shows a typical heat pump layout, and a licensed contractor determines which components apply to the specific system in your home.
Find a contractor in Union CountyUnion County, Mississippi, by the numbers
95 severe weather events were recorded in Union County, Mississippi 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 Union County, Mississippi were built in 1985 or earlier (2020-2024 ACS 5-year).
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesUnion County, Mississippi holds 12,250 housing units (2020-2024 ACS 5-year).
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesOwners occupy 74.7% of the occupied homes in Union County, Mississippi (2020-2024 ACS 5-year).
U.S. Census Bureau, 2020-2024 American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesRepair Rules & Refrigerant Standards for Heat Pumps in Union County, Mississippi1 sourced rules and standards
Licensing and Legal Requirements in Union County, Mississippi
Mississippi licenses residential HVAC work at every tier and at any price: a subcontractor of any tier doing heating, ventilation or air conditioning work on a residential construction or improvement project must be licensed by the State Board of Contractors no matter the dollar amount.
Severe Weather Events in Union County
Weather puts real hours on heating and cooling equipment. A heat pump working harder through storm-driven temperature swings wears faster, and repair needs in Union County reflect what the local climate actually demands.
95 severe weather events, 2015–2024. Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database.