My heat pump with Smart Climate (SRC) isn't cooling

Cooling via underfloor heating or other surface heating systems works differently than air conditioning. Instead of blowing cold air into the room, heat is slowly drawn from the room through the floor surface. This creates a comfortable and even indoor climate.

Important: Surface cooling is primarily intended to regulate room temperature. It generally does not provide as strong a cooling effect as an air conditioner and does not dehumidify the air. On very hot or humid days, cooling performance may therefore be limited.

If your heat pump with ViCare Smart Climate (SRC) is not cooling as expected, this is usually not a malfunction. Often, certain settings or protective functions prevent cooling operation.

1. Cooling does not start

First, check:

• Is the cooling function enabled in the system?

• Are the desired rooms enabled for cooling?

• Are very high setpoint temperatures set in individual rooms?

With Smart Climate, the settings for individual rooms can affect the cooling of the entire system.

Recommendation: Set the temperature in the rooms to be cooled to about 18–20 °C.

To ensure reliable cooling operation, the cooling setpoint must be higher than all three heating setpoints in the room settings. Therefore, set all three heating setpoints lower than the desired cooling setpoint. This prevents unintended switching between heating and cooling.

Example: If the system is to cool to 23 °C, all three heating setpoints must be below 23 °C, e.g., 18 °C, 19 °C, and 20 °C.

Exclusive to Onebase: Rooms that are not to be cooled can be set to “Heating Only” in the room settings.

2. Cooling stops in the evening or at night

This is often not a malfunction. The heat pump starts and stops cooling mode based on factors including the outdoor temperature. If the outdoor temperature drops in the evening or at night, the system may automatically stop cooling—even if the room temperature is still above your desired setting.

Here’s what you can do:

• Set the target temperatures for the rooms to be cooled as uniformly as possible to around 18–20 °C.

• Avoid reduced operation (night setback) during the cooling season.

• If you want the cooling to remain active longer into the night, contact your service provider. They can check whether your system’s cooling parameters can be adjusted.

Tip: Many buildings cool down naturally at night due to lower outdoor temperatures. Therefore, continuous cooling throughout the entire night is often unnecessary.

3. The cooling runs briefly and then shuts off again

The system may be protecting your building from condensation. When humidity is high, the cooling may be temporarily stopped.

Here’s what you can do:

• Ventilate when the outside air is drier.

• Reduce humidity with a dehumidifier.

• If the system keeps shutting off, contact your service provider.

4. The system is cooling, but not sufficiently

Underfloor cooling works differently than an air conditioner. It ensures more comfortable room temperatures but usually does not provide as strong a cooling effect as an air conditioner with a dehumidification function.

When should I contact my service provider?

• The cooling system fails to start at all.

• The cooling stops several times a day.

• Sufficient cooling is not achieved despite correct settings.

• Error messages are displayed.

In short

In most cases, there is no malfunction with the heat pump. Outdoor temperature, room settings, and anti-condensation protection functions affect cooling operation. Especially in systems with Smart Climate (SRC), the settings for individual rooms can influence the cooling of the entire system.