When you turn on your furnace or other heating system in your home on a cold winter day, you expect the whole house to warm up. True, some spots of a house will always be a bit colder just because of where they are, or the presence of windows and lower insulation. But you’ll still have a general expectation of an even spread of heating through the ventilation system and a family that feels comfortable.
However, you’re reading this (probably) because your heater is running but you’ve got cold spots popping up where they haven’t before. You may even have rooms that are getting hotter than normal. What is going on? And do you need the assistance of Orland Park, IL, HVAC contractors to repair the heater or some other part of your comfort system?
Let’s see what might be causing the uneven heating…
Clogged air filter
We mention this one often, but a clogged air filter is often behind many heating troubles. The filter needs to be changed for a clean one every one to three months or else it will begin to blog airflow. A drop in airflow is one of the quickest ways to create uneven heating, since less air will reach the more distant rooms along the ventilation system. Put in a clean filter to see if this improves the situation.
Faulty thermostat
Always check on thermostat settings to make sure nobody fiddled with them and caused the heating problem. (This is especially true if you have zone controls). If the thermostat appears to be set correctly, the issue may be the thermostat is malfunctioning and causing the heater to shut down early before it can send heated air throughout the house. This may be a temperature sensor miscalibration or wiring issue, but it will take professionals to correct it.
Short-cycling
This is when a heater gets trapped in its start-up cycle, turning on and off rapidly before completing a full heating cycle. Some rooms will warm up, but the heater will shut off before it has had enough time to get heated air to all the rooms that need it. There are multiple sources for short-cycling, from trouble with the burners to a heating system that’s too large for the house. Technicians can investigate and find out why you’ve got a short-cycling issue.
Broken zone controls
Does your home have a zone control system that allows you to direct heated (or cooled) air only to the rooms that require it? If you do, then trouble with the zone controls can cause heating to be wildly uneven. This can be due to stuck dampers or failed satellite thermostats in individual rooms. Our technicians can handle any repairs to zone controls, no matter where they are located.
There are several other possibilities for why you’ve got this heating trouble making your winter less comfortable, but you can trust us to pinpoint the exact work you need done and get it fixed right.
Johansen & Anderson Inc is here to help you get the heating you need this winter. Call J&A today, sleep-tight tonight.