Winter is definitely on its way, and that means that you will soon be turning up the temperature on your thermostat (if you haven’t already). But if your heater is blowing cold air instead of hot, your home will be extremely uncomfortable and you’ll likely call your heating technician in a panic. Wondering why your home heating system is acting topsy-turvy? Here are just three reasons why.
Duct Issues
It’s important to have furnace repairs performed when necessary, but you also need to keep up with system cleaning and maintenance. If your ductwork is filled with dirt and debris, your system will have to work a lot harder to heat your home. Not only will this cost you more every month, but it makes for a totally inefficient process. Excessive duct blockage may even keep warm air from distributing evenly throughout your home. It’s also possible that the heat your system produces is mixing with cold air elsewhere in your ductwork and distributing throughout your home. You may not need a new heating system, but you’ll need to get everything checked out by an expert to make sure.
Dirty Filters
Sometimes, furnaces get overheated. It’s not a normal occurrence, but it’s not uncommon either. If your furnace blows warm air at first, then cold, and then turns off entirely, that’s a sign that your furnace’s safety device (called the limit switch) has engaged so that it cools itself down. Often, the cause of overheating can be attributed to dirty air filters. When filters are filled with debris, the airflow gets clogged. This makes your furnace work harder and longer in order to adequately heat your home, which leads to overheating. You should change your filters every month (or more often, if they become dirty quickly). This maintenance should not be ignored, as repeated overheating can lead to more serious issues that will require a visit from your home heating services technician.
Thermostat Settings
Your thermostat could also be responsible for the cold air coming from your heating system. First of all, make sure you’re giving your furnace enough time to blow warm air when you turn on your thermostat initially. Your thermostat’s temperature also needs to be set higher than the temperature of your home. If your thermostat runs on batteries, you may want to change them and see if that impacts its performance. You should also make sure that the fan switch isn’t on, which could cause the furnace fan to blow even when the temperature is set higher. Finally, make sure that your thermostat isn’t located in an area that’s already warmer than the rest of your home (i.e., right in the sunshine). Your thermostat will use the temperature of a given room to regulate itself, so it might blow cooler air than necessary if it thinks your entire home is warm. If none of these tips solves the issue, call your local home heating services company to conduct an assessment.
Dealing with a faulty heater in winter is certainly no fun, but keep in mind there may be a simpler (and less expensive) reason that your furnace might be blowing cold. Contact your home heating services technician to ensure your system runs smoothly all season long. Helpful links.
