Although you might not think about it much, your home’s thermostat is critical to your comfort. It has the important job of sensing the temperature conditions in your home and activating your HVAC to meet your comfort preferences. When the thermostat is working well, it’s easy to ignore. When it’s not, however, your home’s comfort will likely be at the top of your priority list. Here are six of the most common thermostat issues and how you can solve them.
1. Your Home Never Reaches Your Desired Temperature
One of the most common thermostat problems occurs when you set your desired temperature, but your home never reaches it. This can happen for a variety of reasons. The first thing to check is whether your thermostat is in the proper mode. If it’s winter and you’ve left your thermostat set to cool, it won’t activate your home’s heat to reach the temperature you’ve set.
You should also check that your thermostat’s fan setting is in the auto position. This allows the thermostat to control the function of your HVAC’s blower fan as necessary. If you have it set to the on position, the fan won’t ever turn off and may interfere with your thermostat’s ability to reach your desired temperature.
2. Your Thermostat’s Temperature Reading Is Wrong
If you’ve ever noticed that your thermostat shows an indoor temperature that doesn’t match what you’re feeling, you may not be imagining it. It is possible for a thermostat to register an erroneous temperature for a variety of reasons. One of the most common is a dirty thermostat.
If it’s been a while since you’ve cleaned your thermostat, try dusting it to see if it fixes the temperature reading. You may also want to use a can of compressed air to blow out any dust that’s gotten inside the thermostat.
If cleaning your thermostat doesn’t do the trick, it may be miscalibrated. Most thermostats have a calibration mode that allows you to correct their temperature readings to compensate for installation conditions. To fix this problem you need to find your thermostat’s instruction manual. Using a thermometer, follow its calibration procedure to correct its temperature reading.
3. Temperature Readings Fluctuate
If you notice that your thermostat seems to read the temperature differently at different times of day, it may be installed in the wrong place. Your thermostat’s temperature readings can get thrown off by excessive sunlight, drafts, or any other sources of abnormal temperature fluctuations. However, fixing the problem isn’t necessarily easy.
If sunlight from a nearby window is interfering with accurate temperature readings, you can try to solve the problem using blinds or curtains. However, if your issue is hot or cold drafts that you cannot control, you might need to relocate the thermostat. Call Beltway Air Conditioning & Heating for help. Alternatively, you can purchase a thermostat with a remote temperature sensor and put that in a more appropriate and draft-free location.
4. Thermostat Display Not Working
If you try to set your thermostat and find that its display won’t turn on, don’t panic. If your thermostat uses batteries for power, it could be an indication that you need to replace them. This is usually as simple as opening a battery door, removing the old batteries, and inserting new batteries.
However, if you have a thermostat that relies on a C-wire for power, you could have a bigger problem. This might indicate something as benign as a loose wire, or it could indicate that there’s a problem with your HVAC control circuitry. You may also have a tripped breaker in your home’s main electrical panel. Of course, an inactive thermostat display could simply mean your thermostat has broken. To find out which, it’s a good idea to call Beltway Air Conditioning & Heating for a repair visit.
5. Your Thermostat Lacks Modern Features
Depending on when you had your home’s HVAC installed, your thermostat can be anywhere from a few years old to a few decades old. In the latter case, your thermostat might simply lack modern features. Older thermostats may not give you the ability to set heating and cooling schedules. They almost certainly won’t connect to Wi-Fi, allowing you to control your HVAC from your smartphone or voice assistant.
If you’re dealing with an old thermostat, you should consider replacing it. Doing so can be an inexpensive way to update your HVAC system to a more modern standard. This can improve your home’s comfort substantially, and that’s not all. A new thermostat could improve the efficiency of your HVAC and lower your energy bills significantly.
According to the US Department of Energy, even the simplest programmable thermostat can save you about $180 every year. That’s more than enough to pay for the upgrade in most cases. Even better, a smart thermostat could save you between 10% and 15% on your HVAC energy costs every year. Plus, you’d gain a plethora of new functions, including things like smart home integration, geofencing using your smartphone’s location data, and advanced data collection to better track your energy usage.
6. Your HVAC Keeps Running
Lastly, if your thermostat turns your HVAC on, but it keeps running long after reaching your set temperature, you may have a faulty thermostat. Fortunately, this is not a problem that happens very often. When a thermostat fails, it’s more likely to make your HVAC inoperable, not the other way around. However, if you notice that your HVAC keeps overshooting your set temperature by significant margins, it’s probably broken.
To solve the problem, you’ll need to replace your thermostat. If you choose to replace yours with a similar model, it may be possible to do the work yourself. However, if you use a thermostat failure as an opportunity to upgrade, you might need professional assistance. This is especially true if your existing thermostat is an older, battery-powered model, because your new thermostat may require some additional wiring to function.
Your Local Thermostat Experts
Since 2015, Beltway Air Conditioning & Heating has offered homes and businesses throughout Hanover, MD, and the surrounding area the finest HVAC services available in the region. That includes installation, repair, and maintenance of HVAC systems, including thermostats. We also offer indoor air quality solutions, ductwork services, and duct cleaning, too. Locally owned and operated, we’re proud to have a fully licensed team of HVAC technicians on staff and an A+ rating and Better Business Bureau accreditation. We even offer financing on approved credit to help you better afford the HVAC systems and services you need.
For thermostat repairs and replacement throughout the Hanover area, call our team at Beltway Air Conditioning & Heating today.
