It seems like my heat pump blows nothing but cool air out of the vents. It is below 10 degrees out right now. I have an them. Het setting on the thermostat but when I switch to that setting the air from the vents feels cool or just not very warm. It also seems as if my furnace never shuts off. Does it sound as if there is a problem. We try to keep the setting at 68 but it is only keeping the house around 64 to 65 degrees.

klhagen

You should always have on the emergency heat when the outdoor temp is below 30 degrees. A heat pump is not efficient below that temp.

Is your emergency heat electric or is it a gas furnace. Both should keep your house warm when on. But with an electric furnace it could be that you have a heating element burned into and only getting heat from one element. Repairing this problem is not the job for someone not experienced in working with electricity or working on electric furnaces.

If you have electrical resistance heat as back up or emergency, there are several things that could be wrong. The first is to check the breaker. Usually the emergency heat is on its own breaker. Are the heating elements where you can see them when you open the air handler to change the filters? If so, open the access panel and see it they are hot. If not, you need some tools to do much else.

To do simple checks like this you do need some tools. A test light, a meter, or a voltage detector might be the best place to start with. I came across the niftiest gadget for trouble shooting, a voltage detector. They work through the insulation of wires. There are several brands. I have a GB Instruments GVD-505A, less than $15 at Home Depot. Touch it to a hot wire, and the end glows red. Find the doodad that lights it on one side, and not the other, and you have the culprit. You do not have to open up housings and expose electrical contacts. You are looking at where your hand is, not where the meter is. Most people are capable of doing repairs and will get it going and not get hurt if they use a little sense. The voltage detector makes it even easier.

If you have power from the breaker box, but not heat, the likely problems are a stuck relay, or bad heating elements. Use the voltage detector or volt meter to see it you are getting power to the heating elements and if they are continuos. A bad heating element is easy to identify and replace. On ohms, it will show out of limit. Just remove it, take it to a HVAC or electrical supply, and let them match it.

Relays are a pain. Modern systems have them on a board with inaccessible terminals and if it is bad, it means an arm and a leg for a whole new board.

I agree with letmetellu a heat pump will not keep up when it is that cold out side. I would call a tech. you may just have a bad sequencer. Be careful a heat strip has a 115 volts on it at all times it takes 230volts to make it work.