Thermostat problem ? Or not.?

Question

It is really cold right now where I live and I can't stand a lot of heat so I set thermostat at 67. But, here is problem: Auxiliary heat light came on and and can't figure out why? Please help. I can understand if temperature setting was 70 but not 67.

Thanks for all your answers. I suspected something wrong. I live in a duplex and we have no actual maintenance except a part time guy who does nothing. I am concerned about this, so I think I will have to pay for this myself. The part time guy doesn't even know how to fix a leak in the faucet.

Yes it is a heat pump but there is no dial. It is digital, so I tried to reset and did not work. The temperature last night went to 19, and never got over 36 today, although it was sunny. The thermostate is made by White Rodgers.

Answer 1

Heat pumps are designed to run like an air conditioner, but in reverse. They pull heat from the air outside and bring it inside. When the temprature gets below 30 degrees or so for a long period of time, it can no longer pull heat from the outside. The auxilliary heat is a "suplimental heat source" (electric heat coil)that helps the heat pump in extremely cold conditions. This is normal. Don't worry.
It is very cold where I live and I deal with heat pumps everyday.
If you have several days of below freezing tempratures, you can also use the emergency heat which is only electric heat ubtil tempratures climb back up. It is a bit mor expensive but you may not even notice it on your bill.

Answer 2

there is nothing wrong with the unit or the stat.

lets say for example its 70 in the house right now........

you have the stat set for 72...the heat pump comes on and heats the house.

if you turn the stat up to 74 it will kick into aux heat.....why?

because the stat automaticaly goes into aux or emergency heat when there is more than about a 2 degree "call" on the stat.


if you want the house to be 70 degrees, leave the stat set at 70. dont jack with the stat. you will only spend more money.

if it gets really cold outside the heat pump will have a hard time keeping up with the house because they lose eficiency as the outdoor temp drops. when this happens, the aux heat comes on to save the day.

hope this helps,
Possum

Answer 3

Our thermostat is set to 70 here. I have a 2000 sq. ft. home , tight construction. I have a 3 ton heat pump. At around 15 degrees we will get the aux. heat light. It just helps the heat pump get our home back up when there isn't much the heat pump can do alone at low temperatures. It is quite normal for a system to operate this way.

Answer 4

the heat pump you have has an aux-heat dial on your thermostat.
check to see if it is set higher than 40 degrees.
they usually come at 40 so not the freeze the unit or the home.
you may have also moved the dial to aux-heat rather than your regular setting.
if all fails, call an HVAC man and he can set your thermostat for you.
additionally, the unit may have to be set at the heat pump or its just faulty.
i live in Grants pass Oregon and we use All Seasons heating & air conditioning.

Answer 5

When auxiliary heat light comes on something is wrong with the regular heat. It's a heat pump, right? You probably need to call for service. How cold is it there? I would think it would have to be below zero for aux to come on.

Answer 6

I think your zone valves could be faulty, and I would check the thermostat wiring connections to the boiler.

Answer 7

That problem belongs to the landlord, call him and tell him if he can't fix it tomorrow, you want an a/c man there. Don't you dare pay for it yourself.