Your heat pump has been running since breakfast. It is still running at dinner. The outdoor fan hasn't stopped, and you're starting to picture the electric bill.
Here's the honest answer we give homeowners in Federal Way, Kent, Puyallup and Olympia: most of the time, that's normal. Heat pumps are not furnaces. But sometimes it's a real fault, and the way to tell them apart takes about five minutes of looking at the right things.
First, is it actually a problem?
A gas furnace makes a lot of heat fast, shuts off, and waits. A heat pump makes a modest amount of heat continuously and holds the house steady. Long run times are the design, not a defect. Variable-speed and two-stage equipment goes further — it intentionally modulates down and runs for hours at low output, because slow and steady is more efficient and more comfortable than on-off-on-off.
So start with the outcome, not the run time:
- Is the house holding the temperature you set? If yes, and your bill looks normal for the season, you likely have nothing wrong.
- Is it cold outside? At Puget Sound winter design temperatures — 17°F in Olympia, 19°F in Puyallup, 21°F in Kent, 24°F in Federal Way and Seattle, 29°F in Tacoma and Gig Harbor — near-continuous operation is expected behavior.
- Is auxiliary or emergency heat showing on the thermostat? That's the expensive scenario and the one worth chasing down.
If the house is comfortable and the bill is in line, stop worrying. If the house is 3°F short of setpoint all day, or the unit is grinding away on a mild 48°F afternoon, keep reading — and if the diagnosis points to a component, that's a heat pump repair call.
The one number that tells the truth
Compare this winter's kilowatt-hours to last winter's on the same billing period. A heat pump that has quietly lost performance usually shows up on the bill before it shows up as discomfort, because the strip heat picks up the slack silently.
Free checks to run before you call anyone
Thermostat settings
Make sure the fan is set to AUTO, not ON. A fan stuck on ON blows continuously even when the system isn't heating, and people frequently mistake that for the whole system running. Also confirm the mode is HEAT rather than EM HEAT — emergency heat locks out the compressor and runs pure electric resistance, which is the most expensive way to heat a house in Washington.
Then check the setpoint. Heat pumps recover slowly by design. A deep setback overnight followed by a 6 a.m. jump of 6°F can leave the system running all morning trying to catch up. Set it and leave it.
The air filter
A clogged filter starves airflow, which drops capacity, which means longer run times and eventually a system that can't reach setpoint at all. This is the single most common cause we find, and it's a $15 fix you can do yourself. Check it monthly during heating season.
The outdoor unit
Walk out and look. Wet leaves packed against the coil, blackberry vines, a bark pile, or a tarp somebody threw over it in October all choke off airflow. You want at least 18 to 24 inches of clear space on all sides and nothing dripping onto the cabinet from a gutter above. Light frost with a steam plume every 30 to 90 minutes is the normal defrost cycle. A solid block of ice is not.
Registers and returns
Closed vents in unused rooms and a couch parked over the return both reduce airflow and lengthen run times. Open everything.
The real causes, ranked by how often we find them
1. The system is undersized for the house
If it has always run constantly and always struggled on cold days, the equipment may simply be too small. This happens when someone sized off square footage instead of running a Manual J load calculation weighing insulation, window area, ceiling height and layout. There is no repair for undersizing — the fix is correctly sized equipment, which is why every Varsity estimate includes a real load calculation.
2. Low refrigerant from a leak
Refrigerant isn't consumed. If the charge is low, there's a leak. A low-charge system keeps running because it can't move enough heat per cycle to satisfy the thermostat. Symptoms: long run times, weak warm air at the registers, sometimes icing on the outdoor coil. This needs a leak found and repaired, not a top-off.
3. Dirty indoor or outdoor coils
Coils transfer heat. Coated in dust, pet hair, cottonwood fluff or salt residue from coastal air, they transfer less of it, and the system compensates with run time. Coastal homes in Des Moines, Burien, Gig Harbor and Steilacoom are the worst offenders and benefit from semi-annual maintenance.
4. A reversing valve that isn't fully shifting
The reversing valve is what makes a heat pump switch between heating and cooling. When it sticks partway, you get lukewarm air and a system that runs forever chasing a setpoint it can't hit. It's a genuine repair, not a DIY item.
5. Defrost control or sensor failure
A bad defrost board or sensor can leave the unit cycling in and out of defrost far too often, or stuck in it. Either way you lose heating output and gain run time.
6. Leaky or disconnected ductwork
If a duct joint in the crawl space has separated, you're heating the crawl space. Puget Sound crawl spaces are damp, and old flex duct fails faster there than most places. Signs: one room never warms, dust returns fast after cleaning, and the system runs nonstop with no component fault.
7. Auxiliary heat staged in too aggressively
A thermostat configured with the wrong staging or lockout will bring on strip heat constantly, which masks a performance problem and inflates the bill. Configuration fixes are usually quick.
What the repairs actually cost
| Cause | Typical cost (standard markets) |
|---|---|
| CauseFilter, clearance, thermostat settings | Typical cost (standard markets)Free, homeowner fix |
| CauseCoil cleaning / maintenance visit | Typical cost (standard markets)Low end of the repair range |
| CauseDefrost sensor or board | Typical cost (standard markets)$150 – $1,500 |
| CauseReversing valve | Typical cost (standard markets)Mid to high end of $150 – $1,500 |
| CauseRefrigerant leak repair and recharge | Typical cost (standard markets)Mid to high end of $150 – $1,500 |
| CauseDuct repair or sealing | Typical cost (standard markets)$3,000 – $8,000 for larger replacement scope |
| CauseFull replacement | Typical cost (standard markets)$10,000 – $16,000 |
Repairs run $175 to $1,800 in affluent markets and $200 to $2,000 in luxury markets like Bellevue, Gig Harbor and Fox Island. You get a diagnosis and a price before any work starts — no surprises after the fact.
If you'd rather see numbers before anyone visits, the instant estimate tool gives Good, Better and Best starting prices in about 60 seconds.
When constant running means replacement, not repair
Three situations push the conversation:
- Chronic undersizing. No part fixes a capacity shortfall.
- A leak in the coil or compressor on an older system. Repair cost approaches replacement cost with no warranty to show for it.
- Repeat repairs two winters running. You're renting time.
On replacement, local utility rebates may apply. The amount depends on what is being replaced and the equipment installed — we read the utility off your bill, confirm what it currently pays, and file the paperwork. Programs change, so we verify before quoting rather than after. The federal 25C tax credit ended December 31, 2025, so no 2026 install qualifies for it.
What happens when you call us
A technician checks airflow, refrigerant charge, defrost operation, thermostat staging and duct condition — in that order, because airflow problems masquerade as everything else. You get the finding, the price, and the honest call on repair versus replacement. If the answer is a $20 filter and open the vents, that's what we'll tell you. Related reading if the system has stopped producing heat entirely: Heat Pump Not Heating? 7 Causes.
Service hours are Monday through Friday, 8 to 6, with same-week scheduling in most of our 45-city service area. Call (253) 785-4622 or request an estimate and we'll get eyes on it.