During the colder winter months, the heating system in your home becomes a veritable superstar. This vital system is designed to heat your home even in the chilliest weather conditions, ensuring you and your family remain comfortable and safe.
Unfortunately, just like all other home appliances, devices, and systems, your furnace can experience issues that disrupt its performance. Sometimes, you might even discover your furnace blowing cold air instead of hot — which is a severe problem if you’re trying to beat the cold.
Why is your heater blowing cold air? There are various reasons why this particular issue can occur. Let’s take a look at the potential causes in more detail below.
Malfunctioning Thermostat
When you find your furnace blowing cold air, your instinct might be to inspect your HVAC system for any signs of wear or tear. However, you may want to consider first checking your thermostat instead. This is because your thermostat settings go hand-in-hand with your heating system’s performance.
Believe it or not, there’s a good chance your thermostat is currently in the wrong setting. First, you’ll want to ensure your thermostat fan is set to “AUTO” instead of “ON.” If the thermostat is placed on “ON,” this means that your furnace will constantly blow air out of your ducts — even when a heating cycle isn’t in progress. As a result, it may seem like your heating system isn’t working correctly when in actuality, it simply isn’t ready to heat your home.
Overheating Issues
It’s important to ensure that the air flowing to and from your heating system is unobstructed. If the airflow becomes blocked or limited, this can lead to many problems with the furnace, including overheating. When your furnace overheats, the system will likely shut off unexpectedly or fail to meet your heating needs. As a result, overheating could be why your heater is blowing cold air.
Are you worried that your heating system has obstructed airflow? The first thing you should do is replace the furnace filter. Over time, this filter will become dirty and clogged as it collects airborne particles, such as dust, pollen, and pet dander. As you can probably imagine, a dirty air filter can limit the airflow coming and going from the furnace, which can contribute to overheating.
Many HVAC technicians recommend changing the furnace filter once every 90 days. However, you may want to consider replacing the filter more frequently, such as every 30 to 60 days, depending on a few factors. For example, if you have a large household, multiple pets, or family members with allergies, replacing the filter more frequently is a good idea.
The good news for homeowners is that filter replacements are typically included during gas heating furnace maintenance services. Your technician will thoroughly clean, inspect, and test your heating system to ensure that it’s working properly — and this includes the filter.
Flame Sensor Problems
If you have a gas furnace without a pilot light, you may or may not know it has a safety feature called a “flame sensor.” This flame sensor is responsible for detecting when the furnace is producing a flame. If a flame is detected, the gas valve will open so that the heating process can begin.
When you discover your furnace blowing cold air, a dirty flame sensor could be to blame. When this critical component becomes coated in a layer of grime, it’s unable to detect a flame as it usually would. As a result, the gas supply will be cut off, and the furnace will start blowing cold air instead.
Leaking Ductwork
Are you still wondering why your heater is blowing cold air? It might be time to have a professional technician thoroughly inspect your air ducts. Over time, your ductwork can sustain damage that results in holes and cracks.
As the warm air generated by your furnace passes through your ductwork to disperse throughout your home, it can leak out through these cracks. As a result, you may notice that the air doesn’t feel as warm as you thought it would once it reaches your living space. You’ll need to either have your ducts sealed or replaced to get the problem under control.
You Deserve Top-Tier Furnace Services
Hopefully, this guide will help you understand why your heater is blowing cold air. If you’re struggling to diagnose the problem yourself or need a repair, don’t hesitate to call the HVAC experts at Davis! We offer everything from gas furnace maintenance services to comprehensive repairs and replacements to ensure your system keeps blowing hot air. Contact us today to schedule your appointment!