Australia's climatic conditions tend to be characterised by moderate to high temperatures for a good chunk of the year. For this reason, a good number of homeowners will forget about the heating aspect of their HVAC system. This neglect is what leaves room for any decline to go unnoticed up until you desperately need heating during the winter months. What you should note about the heating system is that it will exhibit symptoms of decline before it gives out completely. Before the winter months roll around, read on to learn if your HVAC system is signalling forthcoming heating repairs.
The thermostat is seemingly unresponsive
When testing your heating system to check for disrepair, you should crank up the temperature all the way to ensure that the HVAC system is meeting its capacity. But when you keep adjusting the thermostat higher and your home is not getting warmer, you could presume that the thermostat has malfunctioned. While this is possible, you should also consider the possibility that your heating system requires immediate repairs. When the heating system is not functioning at optimum, it means you will keep trying to adjust the heat in an attempt to keep your home warmer. Hence, you utilise more energy to keep warm and this will lead to hefty electricity bills.
There are cold spots around the house
When the HVAC system is initially installed, the layout of the house is taken into consideration to ensure uniform heating and cooling whenever the temperatures outside are severe. Therefore, when you notice cold spots in the home when the heating system is running, you should be alerted to an underlying problem that needs to be remedied as soon as possible. In typical cases, the cold spots could be caused by blockages in the ductwork. Clogs in your ducts will impede the flow of heated air, and in turn, will leave some parts of the home cold. An HVAC contractor will come to investigate the problem and either clean the ducts to improve airflow or check if the furnace itself is malfunctioning.
The heating system is short-cycling
When your HVAC system is in good working condition, it means it will provide you with your preferred temperature for a specific duration and then turn off when the room reaches said temperature. When your heating system begins to decline, you will notice that it stays on for a short while, and then turns off for a short period repeatedly. This turning on and off after every few minutes is referred to as short-cycling and means your home is not being heated evenly. Short-cycling not only consumes a lot of electricity, but the system will eventually stop cycling altogether. It is crucial to have a contractor come to identify the cause of the short-cycling and undertake the necessary heating repairs.