Gas and Oil Home Heating Furnaces - Trane Heat Pump - can't get heat w/ aux heat

We have an 11 year old Trane Heat Pump. Up until now, we have had no problems when we switch to the aux heat. When we bought the house, we were told that when it hits below freezing to switch to aux heat. It is now 4 degrees here in Kansas City and we can't seem to get the heat in the house past 60. The thermostat shows that both auxiliary and the heat pump are on - we checked the pilot light last night.

The weird thing is that there is hot air blowing out of the vents. Our house is drafty, but we have covered windows and doorways, etc...

The 2nd story of the house is at little warmer...

We have an unfinished partial basement and the sunroom off the kitchen (leading into the basement and the back door) does not have a vent (it is an add-on and not part of the original structure) so it is always unheated - could this be the problem?

We got all the snow and ice off the outside fan two days ago, wondering if that was part of the problem. It has not gotten any warmer.

A couple more things...the Trane Heatpump is XE 1000 and the Trane Gas Furnace is XE 78. Is it an air filter problem?

Help...? Do we need to call someone or is this normal and we just need to continue to wear 3 layers of clothes? Is this something that we can fix ourselves?

First off is the filter clean?is the coil on the furnace clean? Is the outdoor unit running and fan turning? Is this gas furnace blower running and burners on? You should get some one to look at it if you cant . Call a tech you should have heat;) ED

thanks...it was the air filter. We could not find it when we checked it, but finally located it (on the side...we were looking at the bottom). We've replaced it and now it is one toasty house!

Thanks again!

the heat from a heat pump will feel warmer out of the vent to the touch BUT......BUT! The volume of air is much less, and concentrated. It may also keep bouncing off the klixon switch or even the high limit and this would drive you nuts!
Heat pumps work great down to about 27 or 28 degrees,...then they are at a dead heat with electric. When it's mild out, they return 3(+) BTU's of heat for each consumed in comparison to electric. If you have a gas furnace also, why are you using the heat pump?
What provisions were made, in relation to the mechanicals, for heating and cooling? How big is the addition?

You should change that filter every 30 to 90 day in heat and also when you are on AC ED;)

One more thing we discovered, the heat pump was not automatically kicking on the gas furnace when it got below freezing (as it was installed to do). We have to manually turn the gas furnace on, instead of relying on the heat pump to do it.


Thanks for all of your help everyone - I have made a note on the calendar to change the air filter every month.

The furnace should come on when the pump goes into defrost. Also anytime you put the tstat to AUX or EM Id find out why ED;)

I'd have the outdoor ambient switch pop over at about 45 degrees... Gas is alot cheaper to operate.:(