Thayer Air Conditioning Blog: Posts Tagged ‘Thermostats’

Pushing the Thermostat Way Down Doesn’t Work: Here’s Why

Monday, May 3rd, 2021
thermostat-and-woman-72-degrees

How do you like the inside of your house to feel during the hot Texas summers? Probably cool. Not too cold, but enough so you can relax and forget about the scorching heat outside your walls. How do you manage the indoor temperatures with your air conditioning system? With the thermostat. But trying to find the right cool temperature on the thermostat isn’t as simple as it may sound. Often, people push the thermostat setting to its lowest point (which is usually 60°F) hoping they can more rapidly beat the heat. 

However, that’s not how either the thermostat or the air conditioner works, as we’ll explain.

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Ways a Faulty Thermostat Can Affect Your Home Heating

Monday, February 8th, 2021
technician-with-thermostat

We enjoy mild winters here in Texas, with some occasional cold snaps where we’re thankful to have central heating systems. Because we don’t rely as heavily on our heaters as our neighbors to the north do, we can often coast along with a basic setting on the thermostat during the days and a lower temperature at night and not have to worry about the heating system needing to turn on too often. 

But your heating in San Antonio, TX can start to suffer if the thermostat isn’t working right. Thermostat troubles are often easy to overlook: a homeowner may assume that some of the problems listed below are troubles from inside the heating system itself. This is why it’s important to only call on HVAC professionals when you have heating issues. Our technicians can determine what kind of malfunction is harming your home comfort. If it turns out the thermostat is at fault, we’ll have an easier repair or replacement to take care of that will get your comfort back to normal.

The Impact of a Malfunctioning Thermostat

Thermostats can fail in several ways, from the simplest of manual models to the most complex new smart thermostats with Wi-Fi connections. 

The most common thermostat malfunction is a basic miscalibration. All thermostats have a temperature sensor that reads the air temperature near the center of the house to estimate how warm the building is in general. If the thermostat is miscalibrated, it will either sense the house as warmer or cooler than it actually is, and the house won’t be able to reach your desired temperature. The thermostat will shut the heater off too soon or allow it to run too long. If you find that you’re adjusting the thermostat often when this wasn’t normally a problem, it may mean that the thermostat needs professionals to recalibrate it. (We recommend replacing old manual thermostats that use a mercury sensor; these are out-of-date units.)

A loss of connection to the heater is another problem thermostats have—and it isn’t as easy to diagnose as you might think. Thermostats have multiple wires connecting to the control board of the HVAC system: separate wires to turn on and off the heating system and to turn on and off the blower fan. If one of these wires fails, it means the heater or blower fan won’t respond or won’t shut off. Let a technician determine what’s wrong and how it can be fixed. 

Thermostats can pick up ghost readings that are similar to a miscalibration, except in this case the issue is a hot or cold anomaly outside of the thermostat. If the heating system seems to be turning on and off at odd times, check to see that the thermostat isn’t exposed to a draft (such as an open window) or a new heat source like a lamp or an appliance. A thermostat that was poorly located in the first place may have direct sunlight affecting it. 

No matter the thermostat problem or other HVAC issue that’s hurting your winter comfort, put your trust in our team.

At Thayer Air Conditioning, “Your comfort is our #1 priority!” Call us when you need heating service—we’re already on the way!

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With Summer Over, Do You Still Need an AC Contractor’s Help?

Monday, October 19th, 2020
hand-holding-wrench

You might think this is a silly question. You live in Texas: of course you may need to have the help of a San Antonio, TX, HVAC contractor! Hot weather can arrive at any time during the year, it’s merely less frequent during the winter. If you have busted AC on a hot day, you’ll need to give a shout to our technicians, and they’ll be on the way to fix it.

But what we want to address in this post is the help an AC contractor can give you beyond those repair emergencies that can crop up. An air conditioning expert can help out with cooling and other upgrades and improvements to your HVAC system in fall and winter. Below we’ll go through a few ways you can put us to work for you during the end of the year.

Replace Your Air Conditioning System

We’ll start with the Big One—you may need to have a new AC installed after this last summer. This is a big choice, but if you have reasons to suspect your current air conditioner just went through its final summer, fall is an ideal time to schedule a replacement with us. You won’t be in a rush and you’ll find we have a more open calendar for appointments. Rather than wait for next spring, move now to put in a fresh air conditioner.

Maintain the AC (If You Forgot to in Spring)

We recommend all our clients schedule air conditioning maintenance during the spring each year. There is nothing better for an AC than this service: maintenance prolongs system life, increases efficiency, improves capacity, reduces repairs, avoids breakdowns, and protects the warranty. There is no expiration date during the year for maintenance, and with the regular heat in Texas, it’s worthwhile to have it done in fall if you missed it. The important thing is not to skip it for a year.

Upgrade the Thermostat

Do you have a manual thermostat that uses slides or a dial to adjust the temperature and has no read-out? Or a digital thermostat with no programmability? This might be the season to make a change to an advanced digital thermostat with Wi-Fi and smart capabilities. You must have professionals take care of choosing the new thermostat and installing it. A poorly matched thermostat and HVAC system can end up damaging the HVAC system—make sure you work with us.

Install a Ductless Unit for a Hard-to-Cool Spot

Is there one room in your house that never gets cool enough because of its position or other factors not in your control? You can cool that spot without having to resort to a window air conditioner (nobody wants that). We can install a ductless mini split for the space. You may think of ductless mini splits as whole-house cooling solutions for homes that don’t have ducts. But they also have smaller uses, such as point cooling. A ductless mini split installation for a single room means you don’t have to make any major changes to the rest of the HVAC system.

Call on Thayer Air Conditioning for your home cooling needs. Your comfort is our #1 priority!

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Assess Your AC Needs at the End of the Cooling Season

Monday, October 5th, 2020
air-conditioning-with-flowers

Texas doesn’t have to worry about the same winter weather extremes as many other parts of the country, so this makes air conditioning in San Antonio, TX a concern throughout the year. But the start of fall is still an ideal time to take a step back from your home’s cooling and assess it so you can think about making upgrades and changes. With cooler weather ahead, you won’t rely on the AC as often, and this is when you can schedule important air conditioning service with our team.

We’ll help you focus on the AC needs you have now that the summer is over with a few things to consider:

Is the air conditioning system ready to be replaced?

This is the big question to ask at the end of every summer so you’ll be ready to have a new AC put in when it’s convenient. If your air conditioner is less than 10 years old, it probably isn’t ready to be replaced unless it has encountered extreme repair issues or already broken down.

In the 10 to 15-year range is when to start giving more serious thought to a replacement if the system is showing signs it can no longer keep up with comfort demands or it costs too much to run. A system older than 15 years is ready for a replacement.

How are your cooling costs compared to previous summers?

We recommend our customers keep a close watch on their summer electricity bills each year so they can compare them. A rise in costs means you should have technicians examine the system to see if there is a hidden repair problem. For an older AC (see our recommendations above), a steady cost rise often means the system is ready to retire for a replacement.

Do you have an ancient thermostat?

It’s easy to overlook the thermostat in your house when you’re thinking about the larger components or your air conditioner. But a thermostat upgrade can be an important part of improving an air conditioning system that isn’t ready to be replaced but could be performing better.

An old thermostat—i.e. a manual or non-programmable digital thermostat—can hold back your AC from giving you top results. Please don’t try to buy a new digital or Wi-Fi thermostat on your own, however! It’s essential that experts find a new thermostat that matches your current system, otherwise, the HVAC system could suffer from damage.

Are there spots in the house you simply can’t get cool enough?

If you have always had trouble with certain rooms or areas in your house when it comes to proper cooling, you have a few different options—and you don’t necessarily need to have a new AC put in to solve them. One alternative is to have a ductless mini split installed to handle the trouble spots. A ductless unit can provide powerful cooling without interfering with the rest of the HVAC system: an easy modular update!

Call our professionals with all your questions. We can take a look at your house and the cooling system and help you discover your best cooling future.

Your comfort is our #1 priority at Thayer Air Conditioning! Schedule the air conditioning services you need with us—we’re already on our way!

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The Guilty Thermostat: When It’s the Source of Winter Discomfort

Monday, January 27th, 2020
setting-thermostat

When you think of problems with your household heating system, you probably think of the heater unit itself: the furnace or the heat pump. But a heating system is exactly that—a system of components that work together to provide even, efficient, and effective comfort for the house. The system also includes the ductwork, the air handler, and the thermostat.

The thermostat often gets overlooked when homeowners try to figure out why they aren’t getting the comfort they need or why the heater has shut down. But even small thermostat problems can have consequences for comfort and result in an unnecessary climb in monthly utility bills. Fixing, recalibrating, and replacing thermostats is an important heating service in San Antonio, TX we offer.

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