Furnace-related problems cause many homeowners to scratch their heads. If you suddenly notice your heater blowing cold air instead of the warm air you desperately want in your home, it could be due to various simple reasons.
A couple of things could potentially go astray with your furnace because there are various components working together to distribute heat around your home. Before you learn the reasons your heater is blowing cold air, what should you immediately do if you notice this?
What to immediately do if you notice HVAC blowing cold air
If you notice your HVAC blowing cold air, try turning your furnace off and then on. If the problem persists, check out the below reasons to better troubleshoot the problem.
“Why is my heater blowing cold air?” (5 common reasons)
Is your heating blowing cold air in your home and you just don’t know how to go about it? Here are the 5 common reasons why this happens.
- You've not given it enough time to warm up. If you just turned on the furnace and you’re not patient enough to allow it to warm up, you may conclude that perhaps it’s faulty, when it’s not. Allow it to run for between 5-10 minutes and observe if your home is warm. If your home isn’t heated after 10 minutes, then it could be caused by another issue.
- Somebody else at home could have adjusted the thermostat. If you're living with other people at home, it could be that they adjusted the thermostat to their preferred temperature level i.e minus your knowledge. Ensure no one lowers the thermostat levels to cool the room.
- Inspect your thermostat. If you’ve ruled out the above 2 scenarios, then you’ll need to inspect your thermostat to see if the issue stems from there. For instance, if you set your thermostat “on” instead of “auto”, the heater will continue to run. If this happens, cool air will be released to your home. To solve this, simply adjust the thermostat. If it’s battery-powered, check the battery and replace if dead or weak. If it’s a programmable one, ensure it’s properly programmed.
- Your breaker tripped. If your heater is electric, a breaker that’s tripped could prevent heat distribution around your home.
- A dirty flame sensor. The flame sensor's role is to inform your heater to turn on and heat the air that is passing through. If it’s dirty, it may not determine if your burners are on. It can also stop the burners from igniting. This will lead to heat blowing out cold air.
If you’re unable to warm your home with your furnace, and you’re looking for Heating And Air Companies in Atlanta, Moncrief Heating & Air Conditioning can help. Also if your water heater has issues, you can check out this Water Heater Troubleshooting Guide to efficiently solve the issue.