Hello all, I have a Payne Heat Pump.

Model: PH13NR048-C , 3-4 years old


In the last two mornings when I have gotten up, the outside compressor looks like a giant snowball (for some of us is winter time now lol). The fan is still spinning and the house is warm, but it appears the defrost cycle isn't working or if it is it isn't coming on often enough.

I read that their is a setting that can be changed to have the defrost mode come on every 30 minutes. Can someone tell me where I make this change?

How can I tell if the defrost unit is working at all?

Thank you for helping.

The outdoor fan should shut off and the reversing valve would switch over. The compressor will continue to run. The air handler would also continue to run but output temp might be lower depending on whether defrost mode triggers backup heat. The sound changes are pretty obvious.

You should never have an outdoor unit encased in ice. If so pull the HP disconnect and switch on emergency heat until the unit can be checked out.

Some units use defrost on demand and others are on a timer. A tech may be able to adjust settings for your area but the first thing to check is if defrost is even operational.