Thermostat Problems

Under-performance of cooling or heating systems are mostly due to problems in the thermostat. ForA/C troubleshooting, it is necessary to understand and solve these issues at the earliest.

With central cooling or heating systems controlling temperatures at our homes, offices, shoppingmalls and even car and buses, the relevance of air conditioning systems and their maintenance hasgrown. The thermostat is one very vital component of all controlled temperature systems, and mostof the system's problems can be attributed to issues in the thermostat.

The Thermostat Explained

Have you ever noticed air conditioning systems switching on and off by themselves? If you have aconventional electric oven, you must have observed that heating coils stop heating after some time.Why does this happen and what causes it? It happens because in both the cases mentioned above,there is a manually set temperature, which when attained, a device turns the system off, therebystopping the flow of heat, so that a desired set temperature can be maintained. The deviceresponsible for regulating the temperature is called a thermostat. So now, you can imagine that anyproblem with thermostat can cause a lot of discomfort. Without it, one will have to control thetemperatures manually, whenever we feel too hot or too cold. So, let's quickly take a look at theproblems and troubleshooting for a thermostat.

Most Common Thermostat Problems

First signs of problems with a thermostat include drop in performance of the temperature regulatingsystem, and can make you feel too warm or too cold. Before calling out an A/C repair professional, itcan be worthwhile to look at the thermostat yourself.

Location

The most important factor you need to see is the place of installation. If you have the thermostatmounted on a wall with a high thermal coefficient, then such a device will fail to offer youcomfortable temperature, as it will never react properly to the air in the room. But instead, it willclock the temperature of the walls. Similarly, if they are installed at places where there's directsunlight or near an outside door or window, you will face a similar problem. Ideally, a thermostat'sinstallation should be close to where the filter is, so that it can sense and react to the temperature inthe air handler.

Make sure there is no hole or empty space behind the thermostat. Such a space can feed cool orwarm air currents to its back. If you happen to notice a big hole at the back of the thermostat, youcan stuff some insulation in this hole, like cotton gauze, or cover it with non-conducting tape. Onmechanical (non-digital) thermostats, a heat anticipator is installed which needs to be set inaccordance to the current draw on the thermostat circuit. This anticipator may need periodic manualadjustments with the help of an amp meter to get a proper setting.

Dirt

Any kind of thermostat is always susceptible to dirt problems. The dust and grime that builds upinside the thermostat will hinder its working. What you can do is open up the front panel of thethermostat and clean the dirt using a small and light brush. Dust especially (and very carefully)around the contact points; that's where the dust causes most of its problems.

Aging

This is the most obvious problem. If your thermostat is old and not working as it used to, just replaceit. As with all electronic or mechanical equipment, the thermostat will work worse the older it gets.And replacing parts won't help much. You'll just end up periodically replacing something or theother. Rather buy a new one and be done with it.

Power Supply

Some thermostats, mostly digital ones, use battery power for their functioning. It might be a simplecase of the battery getting discharged, or a malfunctioning of the battery recharging system. Inspectthe batteries and replace them if required. Some digital thermostats are designed for AA batteries,or if there are back lights, then they may use AAA batteries. In case you think that the charger hassome issues, make sure to check the power switch circuit breaker in the battery charging circuit.

Most thermostats used in homes are powered by 24 volts AC, and this power is derived from an airhandler and heating split system. Such thermostats are known to be equipped with a power stealingtechnology. In such cases, it is better to first check the circuit breaker meant for the air handler andmake sure it is not tripped. It is not uncommon for people to forgo these circuit breakers and that iswhen they think the thermostat is out of order.

Loosely-wired or Miswired

HVAC systems are not to be trifled with. A lot of people get the notion that they can fix a brokenthermostat, as it is just a matter of twiddling with a few wires. Chances are, they'll end up smokingthe control boards or the transformer. Unless you have good experience in HVAC installations, Istrongly advise that you get your thermostat looked up by a professional. Because you're not justmessing with a piece of electrical equipment that costs a decent chunk of money, you're risking yourown self while tinkering with it. In fact, you'll often come across forums that deny any DIY help topeople who are new to this, because they know the risk involved. And while we're at it, in no casewill you open up the thermostat while the power is still on. Make you you trip not only the outerbreakers, but the inner home breakers as well.

Programming Defects

These days, most A/C systems are equipped with programmable thermostats. The biggest problem insuch devices is their RAM-like programming chips. These thermostat chips lose their programmingwhenever there is an abrupt power failure. To get rid of this situation, you need to reprogram thechip, but it will meet a similar ending whenever there's another power failure. These days newerprogrammable thermostats are available which have a ROM memory which does not perish with apower failure. But, if the old system does not support these new programmable thermostats, the onlyoption is to go for conventional battery powered ones.

These are the major problems which are highly prevalent in air conditioning systems. Even thoughtemperature control systems have become technologically superior, improper usage and non-standard installation can damage the system and cause trouble.