5 Ways to Tell if Your Home's Thermostat is Malfunctioning
There are many different appliances in your house that help bring us the necessities we need. The thermostat is not one that we usually think about on a regular basis. When we think of our utilities and appliances related to them in our home we usually tend to worry about the furnace of the plumbing first.
The thermostat is a very important cog in the wheel when it comes to your home and its working condition should be taken seriously. The thermostat is what you don’t notice until it goes out and when it goes out it has a disastrous effect on the residents. This is especially true in winter when it is very cold and in the summer when it is very hot. You cannot properly heat or cool your home correctly without a properly functioning thermostat.
Here are 5 ways for you to tell if your home’s thermostat is working correctly.
Furnace Not Turning On
Many people may mistake HVAC problems as being a problem with their furnace. This misdiagnosis can cost the Vancouver homeowner a lot of time and money. They will fruitlessly spend money doing different DIY projects and wasting their time trying to fix their furnace. A trained professional could easily tell that the problem with their heating system is that their thermostat is not working properly.
If your thermostat isn’t functioning properly it can’t send a signal to the furnace to turn on, or tell it how much it needs to heat the home before it shuts off. If this happening to you the problem could be as simple as a corroded wire or some build up. It could also mean something more important so you may want to contact a local company for professional thermostat repair.
Location of the Thermostat Box
The location of your thermostat box can also a play huge role in whether or not it functions properly in your home. If it is placed in an area that receives direct sunlight throughout the day it can register a higher temperature than the rest of the house. This means the house will be not receive enough heat throughout the day when the sun is shining on the box. The converse of this situation can also occur if the thermostat is located in an area that is drafty or too close to open windows.
Thermostat Won’t Shut Off
If your thermostat refuses to turn off or randomly turns on and off intermittently there could be a sign that there is a problem with the unit itself. This could be a simple fix. Try making sure that your thermostat unit is level at all times to help ensure that it is working properly. Also, be certain that there is no dirt or residue build up in the wiring of your thermostat that be causing this problem as well. Having a dirty thermostat box is one of the biggest causes of a malfunctioning thermostat unit.
Check the Anticipator
The anticipator on your thermostat must be working properly in order for the unit to perform correctly. If you look at your thermostat, the anticipator is the small tab that is connected to the dial.
Thermostats that are running a little too hot or a little too cold can sometimes benefit from a slight adjustment in either direction of the unit’s anticipator. There are more exact adjustments that can be made in order to help the thermostat more exactly match the furnace that it is controlling. If your initial adjustment isn’t successful you may need to consult the user’s manual to find your furnaces ampere and correctly match it with your thermostat box.
Electronic Malfunctions
The display screen on a programmable thermostat can also malfunction from time to time and give you a bad readout when you attempt to adjust the temperature on the unit.
This can be the product of many different situations. There a few ways to fix it.
The best way is to consult your user’s manual and learn how to do a hard reset of the electronic box. Sometimes simply turning it off and back on can fix the problem as well.
If your thermostat box is not functioning properly when it comes to its screen and nothing seems to fix it you may need an entirely new box. Sometimes, a malfunctioning electronic system in your thermostat can cause the box to keep your furnace on constantly and overheat your Vancouver home. This can cause your utility bills to skyrocket if you don’t get a new unit as quickly as possible. Most thermostat boxes are covered under a warranty and are free to replace depending on the different problems that they experience and what the causes for them are.
Final Thoughts
If you are having any trouble with your heating and cooling system in your home you may assume that your air conditioner unit or your furnace isn’t working properly. Most people overlook their thermostat box when it comes problems with their HVAC system in their residence.
There is a myriad of different problems that can arise with your thermostat. Some of them can be fixed easily with a small adjustment by the homeowner. Others may need the help of a trained professional when fixing problems with their thermostat. They can help you ascertain whether the problems with your thermostat are covered under warranty or not.
For outstanding services in your Vancouver, BC home, call Lambert Plumbing and Heating Ltd at (604) 734-0890. They can help you with thermostat repair for your programmable thermostat.