The thermostat is one of the most important parts of any home’s HVAC system. It’s the device people use to communicate with the heater, air conditioner, and fan. Unfortunately, it’s easy to take the thermostat for granted and imagine that it will always work as needed. Because thermostat malfunctions often appear like trouble elsewhere in the HVAC system, people misdiagnose what’s actually happening.
When you encounter any kind of problem with your home comfort system that you can’t trace to an easily correctable issue (such as a clogged air filter or tripped circuit breaker), always call professionals to figure out what’s wrong. Our technicians can discover if a malfunctioning thermostat is behind the problem so we can offer a swift and effective solution, such as repairing the thermostat or replacing it. Below is a list of four common thermostat problems.
#1. Poorly located thermostat
If you’ve always struggled with getting consistent comfortable temperatures in your home, one possible reason is that the thermostat is located in a position where it’s picking up inaccurate readings for the house. The ideal place for a thermostat is close to the center of a home, away from direct sunlight or exposure to outdoor drafts. When a thermostat is in the wrong place, it will pick up outlier readings that will cause it to make the HVAC system turn on and off at inappropriate times. Fixing this problem requires having technicians relocate the thermostat.
#2. Miscalibrated thermostat
This is the most common trouble people run into with thermostats. A thermostat may start to read temperatures that are several degrees higher or lower than they are, leading to inaccurate behavior from the HVAC system. Thankfully, this is not a difficult problem to solve: professionals can recalibrate the thermostat to get it working accurately again.
#3. Thermostat with lost connections
A thermostat has multiple connections to the HVAC system, with different connections to handle signals to turn the blower fan on and off and to turn the AC/furnace on and off. If the thermostat loses one of these connections, it will cause behavior like the AC running nonstop or not turning on at all. If you can still adjust the thermostat but the HVAC system doesn’t appear to be responding, this may be the problem—but you’ll want technicians to make sure there isn’t another issue with the heater or AC.
#4. Mismatched thermostat
You’ll find many high-end thermostats with special features available through stores and online outfits. It’s tempting to purchase one of these and install it yourself, but we urge you not to, because it often leads to mismatched thermostat problems. Older HVAC systems may not be compatible with the newest Wi-Fi and smart thermostats, which will not only cause poor performance from the HVAC system, it could even lead to damage. A mismatched thermostat can also occur if the HVAC system is upgraded but the thermostat isn’t. If you’re looking to either upgrade your thermostat or install a new HVAC system, always rely on professionals so you won’t end up with this problem.
When it comes to thermostats in Colorado Springs, CO, you can rely on our expert team.
Robbins Heating & Air Conditioning serves Colorado Springs and the surrounding area. Call us for thermostat or other HVAC services.
