If your furnace is chugging along, your whole house should be warm, right? But what if it isn’t? Sometimes, cold spots can occur. This is when some parts of your home are perfectly cozy, but some stay chilly no matter what you do. If there are cold spots in your home that your furnace just isn’t managing to heat, here’s what you should know.
Airflow
If you’re lucky, you just might be able to resolve the issue yourself, with no need to call for repairs. Check your air filter—which you should be changing every month during the winter, and every few months during spring and fall when the furnace is running occasionally. If it’s clogged with dust, it can block airflow, preventing the heat your furnace creates from being distributed properly.
Thermostat Problems
There’s a chance that, despite your heating problems, your furnace is actually fine. It might be that the thermostat is simply not sending accurate signals. You can try replacing the batteries, because dying batteries sometimes make the thermostat send intermittent signals before they fail completely. Or the thermostat may need to be recalibrated.
Short Cycling
Have you noticed your furnace turning on and off more often than usual? This is called short cycling, and it can be caused by anything from a faulty limit control switch to an overheating blower fan motor. When the heating cycle ends too soon, there’s not enough heat being generated to allow for even distribution throughout your home.
If your furnace is short cycling, you’ll definitely need furnace repair in East Norriton, PA. This isn’t just so the underlying issue can be fixed, or to help with those cold spots. When short cycling is allowed to continue, it can cause other problems as well. It’s inefficient, which drives your utility bills up drastically, and it puts a lot of strain on the furnace, potentially shortening its lifespan.
Zone Control Problems
If you have a zone control system, it could be the culprit behind your cold spots. These systems make it possible to set different parts of your home to different temperatures. They do that by opening or closing dampers in your ducts to allow or block the flow of your hot air. If a damper has become stuck in the closed position, that zone of your home simply won’t be receiving the heat it’s calling for.
Age
How old is your furnace? Gas furnaces typically last around fifteen years, and electric ones closer to twenty. This is dependent upon maintenance though, without which they might only keep running well for about half as long. If your furnace is simply reaching the end of its life, the cold spots may be the first sign that it’s time to consider a replacement.
A qualified heating technician can diagnose the root cause of your cold spot problem and make the necessary repairs or recommendations. Whether it’s your furnace or your thermostat, we’re ready to help you get it sorted out.
Contact Platinum Plumbing & Heating, Inc. today to schedule an appointment with our pros.