One of the hardest working but overlooked electrical components in a heating system is the heat pump thermostats.

We constantly fiddle, jiggle or monkey around with the thermostats of our heat pumps. Like a fairy tale about a little girl with bowl of cereal, we constantly complain of things being too hot or too cold. We are almost never satisfied with where we set our heat pump thermostats.

Made to be reliable and almost indestructible, even the best thermostat can go bad over time. Check out the list below for some common heat pump thermostat problems and how to repair them.

The heat pump just keeps on cutting off and on all the time. If a heat pump keeps cycling off and on, no matter what the weather then you may have a problem with the thermostat. First, you should change out the air filter and check to see if there are any loose wires or connectors.

While checking heat pump thermostats don’t require any special equipment if you are uncomfortable you with electrical troubleshooting then you may want to have a professional do this for you.

If the temperature in the house keeps swinging up or down wildly then you may have a thermostat issue. If the temperature moves up or down more than 3 degrees F from when the heat pump went off to when it starts again, you may need some adjustment to the thermostat.

Most digital or programmable heat pump thermostats like a Honeywell heat pump thermostat can be done using the owner’s manual. Older models may require that you call in a HVAC tech for a service call.

Another common problem is when the temperature goes above or below the settings you have put in on the thermostat. A poorly installed or calibrated thermostat often is unable to sense the air around it properly and so “misjudges” how long the heat pump should run when heating or cooling.

If the air handler or blower runs all the time, then this could be caused by either the thermostat, check to see if you haven’t accidentally set the thermostat to “Fan” instead of “Auto” or you have an air draft behind or near the thermostat.

All heat pump thermostats “sample” the temperature in the air surrounding them. This is how the unit determines if the room has reached the preset temperature setting. A draft can throw off the unit so that it will mistakenly keep the blowers running longer than it should.

With other mercury switches, the thermostat may not be level. These types of heat pump thermostats must be leveled correctly and fastened tightly again the wall they are mounted on, in order to work properly. Also in temperatures below freezing even the best of heat pump will run near constantly in order to extract every bit of heat it can from the cold outside air.

Another rare but not totally uncommon problem is the thermostat being exposed to strong direct sunlight or a direct heat source like candles. A thermostat installed inside a room without any drapes, blinds, shades or curtains will naturally sense the heat from sunlight and will attempt to adjust the room accordingly.

While many of the above problems can easily be corrected with the installation of digital heat pump thermostats, you shouldn’t just ignore a thermostat issue. The longer the heat pump system runs with a bad thermostat the more problems it will have in the long run and the higher your utility bills.