How do you tell if your outside unit is a heat pump or compressor

If your outside unit ever runs while your furnace is running in heat mode, then it is a heat pump.

Look in your outdoor unit for this. If it is a heatpump it will have one.

http://americanhvacparts.com/Merchant2/graphics/00000001/Reversing%20Valve%20No%20Coil.jpg

Please, I just want to know simply, how do you tell a heat pump from a standard compressor/condenser@ someone's, anyone's, outside a/c unit what do I look for?

:confused::mad::confused::mad:
Look in your outdoor unit for this. If it is a heatpump it will have one.

http://americanhvacparts.com/Merchant2/graphics/00000001/Reversing%20Valve%20No%20Coil.jpg

Count the number of low voltage wires going to the outside unit. Usually a strait A/C unit will have two conductors (wires). A heat pump will have more.

If the unit only has two thermostat wires hooked to it, it's a standard. If it has more than two stat wires hooked to it and has a control board it's a heat pump in most cases..

So you cannot tell by just looking at the unit for some physical thing

so you cannot tell by just looking at the unit for some physical thing

We are telling you to look for a physical thing. Take the outdoor service access cover off and LOOK for the number of low voltage wires.

Can't tell a heat pump from a straight a/c unit from just looking at the outside of the unit. They will look the same. However, you can get the model and serial number of the unit without opening the unit and look it up to see if it's a heat pump or not.

Why are some things just so hard?

I wish I had an answer to that.

Thank you mygirlsdad77 for that pithy,on the mark anwswer, that took multiple times of prior asking