Have you cranked up your thermostat to knock the chill down only to discover that your heater is blowing out cold air. Well this happens sometimes and a few things can be the cause. Below are some reasons you may be getting a blast of chilly air and how you can warm up your house as soon 1as possible.
1.Your Heater hasn’t had time to warm up.
If you’ve just bumped up the temperature or if you’ve just turned your furnace on all together, it may just be as simple as your heater needs some time to warm up. Allow your system to run for 5-10 minutes to see if the air warms. Hopefully, being patient will pay off and your heater will soon be sending warm cozy air throughout your home. If this doesn’t happen after 10 minutes, then you are looking at another issue.
2. Is someone else adjusting the thermostat?
Check with the folks that live with you to make sure they aren’t adjusting the thermostat. People’s comfort level where indoor temperature is concerned can vary. Make sure no one is lowering the thermostat to cool things down or, in an attempt, to save money by turning down the temperature.
3. Check your thermostat
If you have ruled out number 1 and number 2 on the list, the next thing you want to consider is checking to see if you have a thermostat problem.
For example, if you have your thermostat set on the ”on” position instead of “auto”, the furnace will continually run, even if it isn’t on the heat cycle,. In that case cool air will be running through the system This just means a simple thermostat adjustment.
Next, if your thermostat runs on batteries, check those to make sure they are not week or dead.
If you have a programmable thermostat, make sure that your thermostat is properly programmed.
4. Check the heat pump if you have one.
If your heat pump has iced over or if drifting snow has covered up the unit, this can cause a malfunction. This is something you can easily fix yourself.
Some other issues that may be causing your heat pump to malfunction include, low refrigerant, bad valves or a faulty metering device. Unfortunately, these are issues that will need to be remedied by a professional.
5. Breaker may be tripped
If you have an electric furnace, a tripped breaker can cause problems and heat won’t be able to circulate through your home, in fact, the system may not run at all. Check to see if you have tripped a breaker.
Even if you have a gas furnace, they typically have an electric starter that ignites the gas burner. So, if you have a tripped breaker, the furnace may stay on however, the air can’t warm up because the gas burner can’t ignite.
6. Is the Pilot Light lit?
If gas supply is interrupted for any reason, the gas furnace pilot light will go out. This too can cause your heater to blow cold air. You can fix this problem by following the instructions for how to relight your furnace’s pilot light. If your pilot light refuses to remain lit, this is an indication of a problem that will need to be fixed by a professional.
7. Is your Flame Sensor Dirty?
The flame sensor tells your gas heating unit to turn on and warm the air that is cycling through. If your flame sensor is dirty, it may not recognize whether your burners have turned on. It can also prevent them from igniting. Again, this will result in cold air being pushed through the system.
These issues are the most common ones that arise and result in your heating systems inability to warm the air and you receiving the cold blast from your air vents instead of the heated air you want. If you experience this problem, this list may help you discover the issue and make the fix. Remember, if you aren’t able to get your heater back up and running, you can always count on Horne Heating and Air Conditioning to fix the problem and get your home warm and comfortable.
