5 Ways to Tell if Your Home’s Thermostat is Working

Confused by heating and cooling issues? Check your thermostat.

Many people experience problems with the heating and cooling system in their home from time to time. This is especially common during the time when the seasons are changing and the furnace or the air conditioner may be turning and working for the first time in a long time. People often associate issues with their heating and cooling system with their furnace not working.

This is obviously a good choice if your Woodlands city home is under heated. The air conditioner is also thought of as the culprit when your home is having problems cooling itself. There is one common cause of problems with a home’s HVAC system that can be ignored, the thermostat.

The thermostat is often overlooked by those that are having HVAC problems. Whether you have a simple thermostat, or a more modern programmable thermostat, it can cause problems if it is not working correctly.

The thermostat controls every aspect of your heating and cooling system and tells it what to do. It gathers information about the climate of your home and tells the furnace and the air conditioner what to do to regulate it. If your thermostat is having problems there a few things you can look for to see what’s wrong. Most problems can be fixed easily, but some may require a services certified thermostat repair professional.

Here are 5 of the most common things to look for when your thermostat is not working correctly.

The thermostat is dirty.

Keeping your thermostat clean is one of the best ways to keep it functioning properly. If dirt gets inside your programmable thermostat box it could cause residue to build up on the wires or other pieces of thermostat and make them function improperly.

This could lead to bad temperature read outs and the thermostat not getting proper readings if the temperature reader on the thermostat is blocked and can’t get a proper reading. Make sure that you clean your thermostat out from time to time to prevent rust and residue build up.

The best way to combat problems with your thermostat is to prevent them from ever happening in the first place.

Location of the Thermostat

People who install their own thermostats sometimes fail to realize how important the location of the thermostat is to the operations of the HVAC system.

If a thermostat is located in an area of the house that is colder than the average temperature around the house it might get a reading that it is too cold and cause the furnace to be overworked. This will cause the house to be much too hot in most areas of the Woodlands home. It can also have a huge negative effect on your monthly utility bills.

If the temperature is located in an area with direct sunlight it may read that the home is much hotter than it is. This will cause it to tell the air conditioner to run constantly and overcool the house. This too will cause the utility bills to be out of control. If your thermostat is located in area where it can’t properly do its job you should have it moved.

It might be wise to have a trained thermostat repair professional do it for you to ensure that the wiring is done correctly. If you do it yourself you could void the warranty on the thermostat.

Anticipator Needs Adjusting

You may have opened up your thermostat and noticed the small metal tab sticking out of the temperature gauge. This is called the anticipator. Some thermostat issues can be fixed by slightly adjusting the anticipator.

If the initial adjustment doesn’t work you may need to check the user’s manual on your furnace to make sure the thermostat is using the correct number of amperes when communicating with the furnace. Any further problems with the anticipator should be looked at by a professional.

Your furnace is always on.

If your furnace is on perpetually it could be a sign that there is actually a problem with your thermostat and not the furnace itself. Your thermostat could have a short that is causing it to tell the furnace that it is much colder than it is.

It could also be located in a drafty or cold area that could cause this symptom. There is a laundry list of different situations with your thermostat that can cause your furnace to stay on constantly. It could also cause your furnace to turn on and off intermittently when you don’t want it to.

The thermostat’s screen isn’t working.

If your thermostat’s screen won’t turn on or is constantly turning on and off there is obviously a problem with your thermostat. This could be caused by a programming mistake or an electronic malfunction.

Most problems that result in your thermostat’s electronics not working could be covered by your thermostat’s factory warranty. If you open the box and try to fix it yourself you could void the warranty to be sure to contact a thermostat pro in order to get it fixed and keep it covered.

These are 5 different ways you can prevent your thermostat from breaking or tell if there is something wrong with it currently. Your thermostat could be dirty or placed in a bad location. It could also just be having some kind of electronic malfunction that is causing it to not work correctly.

Make sure to check on your thermostat if you are having problems with the HVAC system in your home.

Most of these problems cannot be fixed using DIY methods. This is why it may be wise to contact an HVAC specialist in your area to get it fixed.

For quality services in your Woodlands, TX home, call Affordable American Air Conditioning & Heating at (281) 872-6263. They will make sure your thermostat is working correctly to keep your HVAC system working in top form all through the cold winter months or the hot summer months.