How to Fix Furnace Problems when it occurs with your own furnace? If your furnace is not working correctly — and you’ve ruled out the usual suspects: broken hoses, dirty furnace filters, etc. — your thermostat could be to blame. Sometimes, aging or faulty wiring, dust accumulation, drastic temperature changes, and other issues can cause your thermostat to malfunction, making it unable to properly communicate with your heating unit and to correctly regulate the temperature of your home.
Usually, thermostat issues will cause your furnace to stop providing heat, to put out an irregular distribution of heat, or to cycle on and off more regularly than is desired.
Take a look at some of the most common thermostat-related furnace problems and their possible solutions:
1. Simple Power Issues
If your wireless thermostat display is not showing any power, try to replace its batteries simply. If the system is operating at inconsistent times, make sure that you are using AA Lithium batteries. Alkaline batteries will run out of power quickly and may lead to inconsistencies and failures in your heating system.
If the problem is not the battery, check the power switch — it’s easy to confuse this for a light switch and switch it off. If it’s not the battery, the fuse or circuit breaker may be the problem.
2. Incompatible Components
Making sure the proper operation of your furnace requires correctly matching your thermostat to your heating system.
Low voltage thermostats are used more often in residential homes. Your thermostat must perfectly match your heating system based on the type, capacity, and capability of your furnace. Installing the wrong kind of thermostat will cause miscommunication and can result in system failure. To assure proper matching, consult with an HVAC professional, or take your old thermostat with you when shopping for a new or updated device.
3. Faulty Wiring
Faulty, and aging wiring, loose connections, and disconnections can cause your thermostat to lose its link to your heating and cooling systems, ultimately causing an interruption in service. If your furnace stops working correctly, it’s a good idea to check your thermostat’s wiring. If you speculate a faulty installation or wiring, tighten and replace wires as needed or consult with a licensed and knowledgeable HVAC technician.
4. Dust and Debris
A dusty and dirty thermostat can cause inconsistent operation and sudden system breakdown. To address this issue, remove the cover from your thermostat and carefully clean its interior components, including the bimetallic coil and switch contact covers. The first thing to do is to set the thermostat to its lowest setting and use a soft brush, or compressed air can clean the bimetallic oil. Then, fix the thermostat to its highest setting and clean the coil again. Lastly, reset the thermostat to your preferred setting.
5. Heat Anticipator Issues
You will find an electrical resistor device — a small metal tab — positioned in the center of most mechanical, non-digital thermostats. This device also called a heat anticipator, tells the thermostat when to switch off the furnace burners. And when it is not functioning right, it may cause your furnace to cycle on and off more regularly than is necessary.
If your heat anticipator is poorly set, it will need an adjustment. Digital and smart or programmable thermostats have built-in anticipators that set themselves automatically, requiring no manual changes. Mechanical thermostats, however, must be manually adjusted — preferably, using an amp meter to determine the proper setting. In other cases, giving the heat anticipator a light push in both directions will be enough to solve the problem.
6. Incorrect Temperature Readings
If your furnace fails to turn on when it should, or if it turns on when it shouldn’t, a wrong temperature reading may be the problem. Check to make sure that your thermostat is installed in the right location — far from outside windows and doors, and heat sources such as fireplaces and radiant heaters. Exposure to direct sunlight, heat emissions, and outdoor temperatures will cause your thermostat to have inaccurate reading, resulting in triggering your furnace to turn on or off when it shouldn’t.
Expert HVAC techs recommend that thermostat should be located close to the return (where the filter is installed) to allow for the most exact temperature reading possible.
If these six thermostat troubleshooting tips did not fix you faulty thermostat, the professionals at Einstein Pros would be glad to help. Contact the HVAC experts in Oregon, Washington, and Nevada today at 888-671-7767. Remember to leave the more difficult tasks and anything dealing with water heater, heating & cooling, sewer & mainlines, and all sorts of plumbing problems to the professionals.