An Overview Of Three Major AC Thermostat Issues
A malfunction of your air conditioner's thermostat can interfere with the AC's cooling ability and efficiency. Below are three of the major AC issues that are based on the thermostat.
No Display
The thermostat should always show a display if the AC is on. This is how you know what the temperature is set to so that you can tell whether your AC is running efficiently. Below are some of the reasons a thermostat might fail to display anything.
- Someone has accidentally switched off the AC
- The circuit breaker has tripped, so the thermostat doesn't have power
- The batteries are dead (for thermostats that use batteries), so the thermostat doesn't have power
- The wires that take power to the thermostat are loose or disconnected
- The thermostat contacts are clogged with dirt, so an electrical current isn't flowing
- The thermostat's safety switch has been triggered due to motor overheating
You get the drift—anything that prevents the flow of current to the thermostat can cause display problems. Anything that prevents the AC from operating at all will have the same effect.
No Temperature Change
Another common problem is where the display is on, the correct temperature is set, but the AC isn't cooling the house. There are a couple of thermostat issues that can create this problem.
Damaged Heat Anticipator
The heat anticipator is the part of the thermostat that triggers heating or cooling depending on the set temperature. The heat anticipator also ensures the AC doesn't cycle 'on' and 'off' too often by monitoring the room temperature versus the temperature setting on the thermostat. Thus, if the heat anticipator is damaged, it might fail to trigger cooling even if the thermostat is properly set.
False Temperature Reading
Your thermostat may also fail to trigger cooling if it is reading a false temperature. This can happen if the thermostat is getting heated by, say, sunlight streaming through a skylight or a nearby window. In such a case, the false high temperature might fool the thermostat into 'thinking' that the room temperature is adequately warm.
Constant Running
Lastly, a faulty thermostat can also cause your AC to run all the time. As you know, the thermostat should signal the AC to stop active cooling once your room reaches the set temperature target. If the thermostat has malfunctioned, however, it won't be sending the correct signals to the AC's control board even when the room temperature has risen to the right level. The AC won't cycle off, but rather keep running until the thermostat issue is resolved. For more information, contact local professionals for AC repairs.
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