Heating System : gas forced air (townhouse, heat pump, cost)

[Eric2009]

This winter is the first on our townhouse. The heat was working fine before the temperature droped below freezing. I program the heat to the desired temperature as needed when we are home. This week we noticed that our house doesn't warm up eventhough we program to 70 for example, the temperature of the house doesn't move above 60 and sometimes we feel that the air coming out cold. I don't know what could be the problem before i call someone to check it!
Your advice is very much appreciated.

[Sergio M]

There may be a damper in the trunk that needs to be set for winter. It looks like a small handle on the trunk coming out of the heating unit. Adjust it 1/4 turn and see if it makes any difference.

[Bill Keegan]

Originally Posted by Eric2009

This winter is the first on our townhouse. The heat was working fine before the temperature droped below freezing. I program the heat to the desired temperature as needed when we are home. This week we noticed that our house doesn't warm up eventhough we program to 70 for example, the temperature of the house doesn't move above 60 and sometimes we feel that the air coming out cold. I don't know what could be the problem before i call someone to check it!
Your advice is very much appreciated.

Did you remember to turn the furnace on, and change the thermostat from "Cool" to "Heat"?

[knoxgarden]

It sounds like you've got a heat pump and the auxiliary heating that's supposed to kick in when it gets really cold isn't doing that.
Check the outside breaker to see if it tripped.
There's some info here on how a heat pump operates and some troubleshooting advice:
HowStuffWorks "How to Troubleshoot a Heat Pump: Tips and Guidelines"
Air coming out of the vents with a heat pump will feel cool because it's lower than body temp but still warmer than the air in the house. If you feel it coming out hot, that means the auxiliary heat has kicked in. NJ is awfully far north for a heat pump to be cost effective but some people do use them.

[Eric2009]

Originally Posted by knoxgarden

It sounds like you've got a heat pump and the auxiliary heating that's supposed to kick in when it gets really cold isn't doing that.
Check the outside breaker to see if it tripped.
There's some info here on how a heat pump operates and some troubleshooting advice:
HowStuffWorks "How to Troubleshoot a Heat Pump: Tips and Guidelines"
Air coming out of the vents with a heat pump will feel cool because it's lower than body temp but still warmer than the air in the house. If you feel it coming out hot, that means the auxiliary heat has kicked in. NJ is awfully far north for a heat pump to be cost effective but some people do use them.

Thank you guys. I have noticed that no air coming out from some vents on the first floor. On the second floor is really warm, all the vents are working fine , but on the first floor i have only two vent working properly. I will try to order the service for cleaning the air duct to see if it improve the air circulation in the house.

[Sergio M]

Sounds like the damper is set for summertime pumping the cold air to the top (cold air will sink on its own) now you will need to set the damper to open vents on first level for warm air (warm air rises).