Examining the Impact of a Faulty Thermostat on Your Heating System

Your thermostat serves as the “brain” of your HVAC systems, enabling you to choose when your heating or cooling unit turns on and what temperature your home will be. Ideally, your thermostat will never interfere with the performance of your furnace. The components in your heater will function as they’re supposed to regardless of what temperature you set your thermostat at, after all.

However, problems with your thermostat can impact your ability to control your furnace, and as such can be just as aggravating a problem as a malfunctioning heater. Keep reading to learn more about how a faulty thermostat can affect your entire heating system.

Your Furnace Won’t Turn On or Off

When your thermostat isn’t working as it should, your heater won’t receive the signals it is supposed to in order to turn on when it should and/or turn off when it’s supposed to. As a result, you’re stuck with an uncomfortable home, and you’ll also be wasting money on higher electric bills.

If your thermostat misreads the temperature, for instance, it may signal your heater to turn on during an already hot day—turning your home into a sauna and wasting precious energy to do it. On the same token, the temperatures may drop but your thermostat will fail to recognize it and your heater won’t turn on as early as it should, leaving you with no heat at all.

Short Cycling

Another problem that a faulty thermostat may cause is a heater that cycles on and off rapidly. This process is called short cycling. Unfortunately, most of your furnace’s energy is spent on cycling on and off, so if it’s doing it too much then your furnace will fail to work as efficiently as it should, and wear down faster.

For expert thermostat services throughout Purcellville, VA and beyond, contact AllTech Services, Inc. today.