Heat pumps are a bit of an oxymoron. They don’t pump heat into your home. They pump it away from your air conditioner or heating device to prevent overheating within the appliance.

Heat pumps basically move heat from one location at a lower temperature to another location, called the heat sink, to help dissipate the heat. Whether they’re pumping heat away from an AC or heater, they still use the same basic cycle to make it happen.

It doesn’t take a licensed professional to realize the kind of miles a heat pump can quickly rack up, but it does take a licensed professional to help maintain, repair or replace them.