Oftentimes, when your home doesn’t feel warm enough, the problem isn’t always with your heating unit. In most cases, the issue at hand can be with your thermostat. Be aware of the most common problems with a thermostat so you can have a warm and comfortable home all winter.
Placed in direct sunlight: If the afternoon sun shines directly on your thermostat for a few hours, the thermostat will record a warmer temperature within your home than it actually is. When this misreading occurs, your heating unit won’t come on and your home will be quite chilly. Should you find that your heating unit is running less during times when the sun is shining in your home, check the location of the thermostat and relocate it if necessary.
Placed near heat source: When the thermostat is located too close to a heating source, the same thing will happen if it were in the direct sun, it will get an inaccurate reading of the room temperature. These heating sources can include the dishwasher, dryer, or hot water tank. Again, relocate the thermostat to a more neutral location for the most accurate reading and to avoid a cool home.
Home is too large: Houses with more than one floor can experience uneven heating problems – it’s either too warm downstairs but freezing upstairs. In large homes, this problem can be even worse. In this case, the problem isn’t with the specific thermostat, it’s with the lack of thermostats. Install an additional thermostat in a neutral location on each floor, this way you can control the temperature to your liking on every floor in your home.
Thermostat is broken/outdated: Like all devices, thermostats eventually run their course and stop functioning properly. Others are simply too outdated and make it difficult to manage the temperature in your home. If either of these issues is the case, replace your thermostat with a new electric model.
