Thermostats are like a little brain for your heating and cooling systems. The whole purpose of a thermostat is to keep your home at the temperature that you want. No matter if it’s hot or cold outside, your thermostat automatically adjusts your systems to keep your home at your desired temperature.
It’s an amazing little invention that’s actually really simple in practice. It has a sensor that measures the temperature in your home, and it’s connected to your heating and cooling systems. You tell it what temperature you like, and then your thermostat will adjust the heat or air conditioning in your home to reach that temperature.
However, there are a couple of things that could make your thermostat work incorrectly or even cause problems. The whole purpose of a thermostat is to make your home more comfortable and save money by balancing your heating and cooling needs. However, if your thermostat isn’t working correctly, then it could cause problems. So here are the biggest signs you need to look out for.
Your thermostat temperature is different to the actual room temperature
One of the quickest ways to tell if your thermostat is working properly is to compare the temperature shown on the device to the actual temperature of your room. If the temperature is wildly different, then it could indicate an issue with your heating and cooling systems, or it could be an issue with your thermostat.
For example, maybe the sensor is broken and not reading the temperatures correctly, or perhaps the sensor is in a hot or cold area of your home, and thus isn’t reading the average room temperature.
Your thermostat’s controls are unresponsive
If your thermostat’s controls are unresponsive or don’t seem to be doing anything, then there’s a good chance that it’s broken. Some modern thermostats use touch screens which can be damaged through wear and tear. If your thermostat is new, then we suggest speaking to the installer or manufacturer to get a replacement or to troubleshoot it for issues.
An unresponsive thermostat could indicate larger issues that could prevent you from cutting down on your bills. For instance, the device might forget your preferred temperature settings due to internal circuitry errors, or it might be displaying the wrong temperatures.
Your thermostat is showing signs of wear and tear
Thermostats, like many other electronic devices, can get old and worn over time. This usually doesn’t mean much as long as the electronics and buttons are working. However, it’s possible that wear and tear could cause your thermostat to malfunction if you’re not careful. Dust and grime buildup could affect the components and thus affect their operation, or it could clog the sensors which cause them to have inaccurate readings.
Regardless of the age of your thermostat, it’s important to occasionally give it a thorough clean. However, if the wear and tear occurs in the actual components, then you may want to consider replacing it, especially if it’s a fairly old thermostat.
