If you’re having a hard time keeping a consistently comfortable temperature in your house, your thermostat may be the culprit. Although there are many reasons why your air conditioning or heating is not functioning up to par, troubleshooting your thermostat is a great place to start to figure out what may be causing the issue.
- Bad location - The thermostat shouldn’t be located near any heat source, such as a lamp or TV. This would cause the thermostat to have inaccurate readings of the indoor temperature and send the wrong commands to the heater or air conditioner.
- Needs cleaning – Older model thermostats with lever-set temperatures usually malfunction when they need cleaning. To clean your thermostat, remove the cover and dust inside with a soft brush. To clean contacts, slip a piece of paper between them, moving the paper very lightly back and forth. Also, consider upgrading to an electronic thermostat, especially a programmable one. This can save you quite a bit on electric bills.
- Anticipator needs adjustment - If your air conditioner or furnace cycles on and off too much or too little and you have a mechanical control, try adjusting the anticipator. The purpose of the anticipator is to "de-sensitize" the thermostat so that when the actual room temperature is hovering close to the set temperature on the thermostat, the thermostat switch won't keep switching the heat or AC on and off too often - which can damage the equipment. If the heat starts and stops too often, move the anticipator a smidge higher. If it starts and stops too seldom, adjust it a tad lower. Wait a few hours to see if the adjustment was enough.
- Needs new batteries - Electronic thermostats rarely fail. More often than not, you just need to in new batteries when the low-power light comes on.
With simple maintenance and light cleaning, thermostats will function at their best for a very long time.
If you're in need of repairs or maintenance for your home air conditioning and heating system, call AC Express right away! Our certified technicians can respond the same day. Call now! (512) 866-5520
