Your heat pump or furnace heats your home and keeps your family cozy and warm during the long winter months. So, if there’s only cold air coming out of the vents, and your home is suddenly freezing, you may have a problem. The problem could be with your thermostat or even your ductwork that carries the hot air to the vents to heat your home.
Either way, you need your heat pump and furnace to blow out warm air, not cold air, which leaves you and your family freezing and prone to getting sick. In this article, you’ll find a few tips for figuring out what could be wrong with your heat pump or furnace to help you out.
Your heat pump or furnace isn’t turning on.
Your heat pump or furnace should blow warm air through your vents, but if the heat pump or furnace won’t even turn on, that’s not going to happen. With your heat pump or your furnace, it could be a few different things. Your thermostat could be broken, or it may even be that your circuit breakers have tripped. Try checking these things first; then, if that doesn’t do the trick, it’s probably best to call in an HVAC technician to take a look at the unit for you.
Your system is short-cycling.
If you wake up one morning, sit at the table with your coffee, then start glancing through an article on grooming and lifestyle tips for taking years off your looks, only to notice that your heat pump or furnace is starting and stopping, then starting and stopping again in short amounts of time, then your system could be short-cycling. From dirty air filters to your thermostat needing to be reset, there are many reasons that this could be happening. If you can’t figure out the problem by changing the air filter and reprogramming the thermostat, it’s time to call in the technicians before the problem gets more serious.
Your furnace or heat pump is running constantly.
If your electric bills have suddenly shot through the roof, it could be because your furnace or heat pump is constantly running. A few reasons this could be happening include the weather being unusually cold, a problem with your thermostat, or even a broken compressor. Your thermostat could be set to the incorrect setting, or your limit switch be on the fritz as well. It’s best to call in an HVAC professional to inspect the unit and find the problem. Once the technician fixes the problem, your electric bills should start to go down.
You have an older furnace or heat pump.
Your unit may be just past its prime. Though most furnaces and heat pumps are built to last for quite a few years, if they aren’t maintained properly, or their shelf life is reached, you’re going to start having problems. If you’re putting more money into your unit than it would cost to replace it, then it might be time to bite the bullet, pull out the money and order a new system. There are signs that you need to replace your unit; if you find that you have more than two of the signs, it’s time to call an HVAC professional in to see about a replacement unit. A reliable, reputable HVAC technician can truthfully tell you if you’re better off replacing instead of repairing your unit and help you find the best option for your home.
These are just a few problems you could have with your furnace or heat pump over the years. If you find that you’re spending more on repairs than the unit is worth, it might be time to spring for a replacement unit instead.