If you notice that you’re unexpectedly chilly in your home, your first port of call is almost definitely your thermostat. And if you try to raise the temperature by adjusting your thermostat and don’t hear your furnace kick on, you’ll be understandably concerned. Is the furnace broken? Or is it just a problem with the thermostat?
Either could be the case, but there are several things you can do to check for minor, fixable issues yourself. We’ll walk you through what you can do on your own to address thermostat problems, and help you recognize when it’s time to reach out to a professional in thermostat repair in Fort Walton Beach, FL.
Minor Mistakes
There’s an acronym sometimes used in tech support: PEBKAC, or Problem Exists Between Keyboard And Chair. In other words, user error. We don’t mean to embarrass you, but we’ve been to many homes just to tell the homeowner that they’d made a mistake with thermostat settings, and we’d love to save you from that fate. Sometimes vacation settings have been accidentally activated, or an unintentional elbow bump (or a child, or a pet) has switched the heat off, or even set the HVAC system to cooling mode. Double-check your thermostat’s settings before calling for help.
Impatience
When you crank up the heat, the furnace won’t start that very second. There is a momentary delay, and it’s crucial for safe furnace operation. It prevents the heater from trying to operate if the pilot light is out, because that could cause a very dangerous situation. Make sure that you wait a few minutes after raising the thermostat to give the furnace a chance to start up.
Easy Fixes
There are a couple of things that can go wrong with your thermostat that you can check for and fix yourself. The first is the batteries. Replacing those is quick and inexpensive, and is sometimes all that needs to be done. The second is that occasionally, something has tripped the circuit breaker for the circuit your thermostat is on. Check your electrical panel to see if a breaker needs to be reset.
Problems for Professionals
If you’ve ruled out all of the above issues, it’s time to get a technician to take a look at your thermostat. There are a variety of things that could be wrong, and it takes a professional to diagnose the specific issue and repair it. There could be loose or faulty wiring, a problem with the calibration, or foreign matter like dust interfering with components. Or, despite the fact that it was the thermostat that made you realize there was a problem, it may be that the furnace itself is responsible. Problems with ignition switches, safety switches, flame sensors, or fan motors can all cause a furnace to refuse to start, no matter what the thermostat says. In any of these cases, it’s critical to have the help of someone with training and experience.
For professional thermostat and furnace repair, look no further than Kool Breeze of Northwest Florida, Inc. Contact us today!