During normal operation, your furnace should blow warm air through the vents. If your furnace in Richmond Hill, GA, blows cold air, any of the factors below might be the problem.
Thermostat Settings
If your furnace components are in good condition, but the heating system still blows cold air, the problem might be the thermostat. A thermostat set to “on” will keep the blower fan on even when the furnace is outside the heating cycle. As such, the fan blows cold air from a heating system that just completed a heating cycle.
To avoid this, the thermostat setting should be set to “auto.” This way, the fan will only work when the furnace is in a heating cycle.
Clogged Furnace Air Filters
Air filters trap dust, debris and other particles from the air. If the air filters clog, they restrict airflow, causing the furnace to overheat.
Overheating causes the furnace to automatically shut down. Because the fan will still be on, once the furnace shuts down, the fan continues blowing cold air.
At times, your home will be cold because heated air isn’t reaching your home from the heating system due to clogging. To avoid this, your air filter needs to be clean or new. The sizing and MERV rating of the air filter also enhance the efficiency of the filter.
Pilot Light Problems
For many years, furnaces used a small, continuously burning flame known as a pilot light to ignite the burners during every heating cycle. Although pilot lights are still present in homes with older systems, most newly installed heating systems use an electronic ignition instead.
However, if your home still uses a system with a pilot light, you might face a unique problem: if the heating system pilot light goes out, your heating system will attempt to ignite, but it won’t combust. You may feel the heating system fan blowing and this is what sends the cold air to your home. The pilot light of your heating system should never go off as that means your system won’t ignite or won’t generate heat.
If you detect cold air coming from the vents after turning the furnace on, wait for a few minutes for the furnace to warm the room. If it continues blowing cold air, call our team at McDevitt Air in Richmond Hill, GA, for heating system repair services or any other HVAC services.
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