Bob and Tim have responded to a service request where the customer is explaining that their heat pump is running all the time. The indicator light on their thermostat is lit most of the time, indicating the strip heat is on as well. The weather is cold today but has been warm some days and cold some days. It’s a very unusual heating season.
When they go to the whole house thermostat, they see that it is set at 71°F, and the house temperature is 69°. The indicator light on the thermostat shows that the strip heat is operating. They get their tools and meter and check the strip heating elements. They find that there are three stages of strip heat, but none of them are heating — they are not drawing current. They push the reset button on one of the heaters, and it starts drawing current. So they push the reset on the other two heaters, and all three are drawing current.