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Posted on April 1, 2016 by

5 Ways To Tell If Your Home's Thermostat Is Malfunctioning

Having Thermostat Problems?

Although many love having central air in their home, it’s possible to have problems from time to time with the heating and cooling system as well as the thermostat. Those that have problems with their programmable thermostat may or may not be able to tell that there's a problem until they try to turn it on, and it malfunctions.

There are certain ways to tell if there are problems with the thermostat, and it’s best to recognize when there is an issue ahead of time, especially if it’s imperative to heat or cool a Colonial Heights home with the central heating or cooling system. Doing some troubleshooting is a good idea to give the HVAC specialist an idea about what’s going on with the thermostat beforehand, but it’s also possible to simply call out the specialist to have them determine the problem with the thermostat.

Colonial Heights, VA thermostat-repair-2Ways To Detect Thermostat Problems

  • The air cycle is too short.
  • The battery sign is showing or flashing.
  • The room won't get warm or cool when HVAC unit is on.
  • Only cool air is coming from the HVAC unit.
  • The fan alone is running, but no air is coming from the system.

#1- If the air cycle is too short, then this may be proof that the thermostat isn’t functioning properly. Once the heat or the AC is chosen on the thermostat, then the air should be cycled through the home for a certain period of time until it gets to the temperature that is selected for the room. If the air cuts off within a few minutes or a shorter period of time than expected, then it may mean that the thermostat isn’t working correctly.

It’s possible that the room has heated up or cooled down to the desired temperature within the short air cycle, but in certain cases, this means a thermostat is not doing its job correctly. If the temperature in the room is higher or lower than what the thermostat was set to but the air cycle has cut off, then there definitely is a problem, and it’s most likely coming from the thermostat itself. The air should cycle throughout the room until it gets to the temperature requested, and if it’s not doing that, then both the thermostat as well as central heating and cooling system should be checked.

#2- Many don’t realize that thermostats have batteries, and some require a good battery in order to work properly, even if the thermostat is connected to electricity. In certain thermostats, the battery sign will be flashing or will show on the display, and this in itself could mean a malfunction for the thermostat.

A low battery can give off incorrect temperature readings, and it’s also possible that the room cannot be cooled or heated if the thermostat is not reading correctly because of the low battery. Any time a low battery is showing on a thermostat, it needs to be changed.

Colonial Heights, VA thermostat-repair#3- The HVAC unit is on, but the room still continues to stay cool or warm, depending on the settings that were chosen. If a room won’t warm up or won’t cool down, then it’s likely that there is something wrong with the thermostat. It’s possible that there are other problems within a heating or cooling system, but the thermostat is what initiates the system to cool or heat the home.

If the thermostat is set to a particular temperature and the home continues to stay cold or warm, then it’s always best to make sure that the air is running.

If the air is running but the room still isn’t getting to the desired temperature, then it’s possible that the thermostat has read the temperature incorrectly or is not pushing out heat or cool air.

Sometimes, a person may choose the wrong setting and turn on the AC as opposed to the heat and vice versa. If all the correct settings are on the thermostat but the room continues to stay at the same temperature in the Colonial Heights neighborhood home, then the thermostat should be checked because there may be one or several issues that are causing the system not to do its job properly.

#4- There are many who turn on the heat with their programmable thermostat and are only getting cool air, and this could simply be because of the thermostat. A low battery may give the wrong temperature readings, which in turn may not allow the thermostat to turn on the heat to warm up the room. Other things to consider is that only the fan is on but the thermostat isn’t set for heat or cool air. It’s possible that the thermostat itself is causing the cool air to be blown through the system, and it may be caused by a few different issues that should be checked out by a specialist.

#5- If the fan for the central heating and cooling system is running but no air is blowing, then it’s possible that the thermostat hasn’t been turned to the heating or cooling function. It also might be that the thermostat itself is malfunctioning. When the thermostat is turned on to heat or cool the home, it should allow the fan to run as well as the air to start flowing through the home, and if it doesn’t do this, then there is definitely a problem with the thermostat, and thermostat repair is needed.

The thermostat may possibly need a battery change to fix the problem, it may have a shortage somewhere, it’s possible that it’s dirty and is not reading correctly or there may be other issues.

Get Thermostat Repair

Any thermostat problems should be taken care of by an HVAC or furnace specialists, depending on the type of heating or cooling system that’s in the home. The specialist should be able to determine the exact cause of the problem and fix it along with fixing the central heating and cooling system if it’s necessary.

Take care of your home’s thermostat by calling Colonial Plumbing & Heating Co., Inc. in Colonial Heights, VA at (804) 526- 8415.