When your house starts getting hot and humid, it’s not a big deal to turn on the air conditioning and wait for the cool comfort to begin.
But what if your thermostat doesn’t respond when you turn on the AC and adjust the temperature?
Before you overheat, here’s why you may experience this issue and what you can do to restore comfort levels in your home.
Is It the Thermostat or Something Else?
The first thing to know before attempting to fix the thermostat is that it may not be a problem with your thermostat.
Unless you are a professional with HVAC experience, it’s possible to cause permanent damage to the thermostat by trying to fix it.
While the air conditioning is not responding to the thermostat settings you put in, it could be something within the HVAC system itself.
Thermostat Issues
HVAC thermostats are complex devices, without even considering Wi-Fi and other SMART thermostat features.
If you do have a digital or SMART thermostat, it may not be responding due to a software malfunction.
The thermostat may be miscalibrated, or unable to correctly read set temperature settings. When this happens, the thermostat registers the temperature it falsely interprets to be correct and results in AC temperature control being completely off or unresponsive.
If wires from the air conditioner come loose, break, or wear out, the connection is lost between the thermostat and either the air handler or compressor. This works both ways. The AC could get stuck running constantly or not running at all.
It could be that the thermostat is not compatible with the HVAC system. This tends to happen if you perform a DIY replacement of the thermostat without checking its compatibility with the system.
HVAC Issues
A problem with the AC blower unit or condenser can produce a power overload and trip a breaker, cutting off power to the air conditioning unit.
If there’s a broken pump or clogged drain causing the condensate pan in the AC system to overflow, the AC’s limit switch safety feature will trip, and the AC will not run. A good indicator of this problem is If your thermostat screen goes blank.
If the HVAC motor is bad, the AC will not kick in. In fact, once the motor burns out, the AC will not respond to anything programmed into the thermostat.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are several different reasons for an unresponsive thermostat. Regardless of whether the problem is with your thermostat or something else in your HVAC system, the problem should be diagnosed and repaired by a licensed HVAC professional.
If you run into problems with your thermostat or AC system not working properly, don’t hesitate to call the HVAC experts at Dale HCS in Santa Rosa.