Abstract: A heat pump or the like with a heating, cooling and defrost cycle, the heat pump including an auxiliary heat exchanger that includes a first coil and second coils, the auxiliary heat exchanger operatively connected to a primary refrigerant flow circuit such that hot gaseous refrigerant from the compressor flows through the first coil. The heat pump also includes a bypass refrigerant conduit for bypassing the indoor heat exchanger during the defrost cycle, the bypass conduit connecting the primary circuit to the second coils of the auxiliary heat exchanger so that the second coils act as an evaporator in the defrost cycle. Hot gaseous refrigerant directed through the first coil of the auxiliary heat exchanger warms second coils so that refrigerant directed into the second coils is more efficiently evaporated.