upstairs heat blowing cold air

The pump is not leaking or making noise. Will a badly worn impeller on the water pump be my problem. The flame sensor tells your gas heating unit to turn on and warm the air that is cycling through. As soon as the thermostat registers that the temperature has fallen below a certain threshold point, the system kicks on, blowing furnace-heated air … Remember, if you aren’t able to get your heater back up and running, you can always count on Horne Heating and Air Conditioning to fix the problem and get your home warm and comfortable. I have a 1998 Ford Expedition 5.4 V8 engine, It is blowing cold air, no heat. Air lock: An air lock is a large air bubble that forms in your cooling system as the result of a coolant leak or a recent coolant top-up. Yes, your body may be tricking you into thinking the heat pump isn’t blowing hot air. Most thermostats have three settings - Heat, Cool, Fan. Don’t worry: we’ve outlined some of the most common causes of the problem below. Check The Thermostat. ... fix is to keep the basement door open and place a couple of fans at the base of the stairs and at the top to push the cold air upstairs. As air gets hotter, it becomes less dense and rises. Here is a picture of stuff blowing out of intake vent. Unreliable car heaters can make the cold winter months practically unbearable. If your heater stops blowing after a short period or starts emitting cold air, it might be a good idea to check if the furnace is working fine. on Jun 14, 2017. (Photo Source: cargurus) Of course, you get cold air when the bend door is fixed to the ‘close’ position. In a two-story home it can be difficult to balance the temperatures between the upstairs and downstairs. That outside air in the mix lowers the temperature of the air that’s just come from your furnace. Heat pumps that blow cold air is not as common a problem, yet it does happen, and can be caused by one or more factors. Do I need a bigger air conditioner? Heat rising upstairs will always take the path of least resistance, and the stairway allows a massive transfer of heated air to the upstairs. If your heat pump has iced over or if drifting snow has covered up the unit, this can cause a malfunction. Allow your system to run for 5-10 minutes to see if the air warms. If your heater starts by throwing warm air out of your registers, but you are soon left with a heater blowing cold air, then I would suspect that your flame sensor needs to be cleaned. Now, that may be hard to grasp, but this is the way it works. If you have ruled out number 1 and number 2 on the list, the next thing you want to consider is checking to see if you have a thermostat problem. When your furnace isn’t running, the air in your ducts cools down. This is when the fan kicks back on and all of the frost that ran down to the bottom of the coil in the form of water is pushed out of the top of the unit, sometimes in the form of steam. Compromised flame sensor. This video will show you where you should start with your furnace troubleshooting. If you’ve just bumped up the temperature or if you’ve just turned your furnace on all together, it may just be as simple as your heater needs some time to warm up. Whatever you do, don't try blowing air from an enclosed basement room to the upstairs. Simply put, the furnace inside the equipment needs to get heated up for the fan to emit warm air. But here are 3 common causes you can fix yourself. A Note About Our Hours and COVID19: Open As Usual! Frost on the outside coil is condensation that forms up on the coil in the form of frost. Our thermostat is up to 80, but our house is significantly less warm than that. This too can cause your heater to blow cold air. It works for cold air if I turn down the thermostat, but for the heat nothing comes out. Details Your System Was Just Turned On. When overheating, your furnace can trip a high limit switch, causing the furnace burners to shut off so that the heat … Does your thermostat have a setting that says "Fan"? In the upstairs area of homes, air sealing vulnerable areas to prevent cold air from getting through helps tremendously in keeping the upstairs warm during winter months. Below is a list of possible causes. Elaine. There are two possible routes here, one of which many homeowners who are new to heat pump systems encounter. You don’t really notice it downstairs, because your heat source is there. In the summer, your indoor coil is cold (and pulls humidity out of the air, and comes in the form of water) which is drained from that PVC pipe located on your roof, or side of your house. Quickly shut thermostat off and then on again and problem was solved. In the summer, your indoor coil is cold (and pulls humidity out of the air, and comes in the form of water) which is drained from that PVC pipe located on your roof, or side of your house. Check out this article, on how to tell if your unit is a heat pump or air conditioner. First, confirm that the light is out. I have central gas air and my downstairs is working, blowing heat, whereas the upstairs stopped working. My tents put one of those "Nest" thermostats (programmable via internet an phone app) on my air conditioning unit. Unfortunately, the average air duct system lose around 20-30% of its conditioned air to cracks and gaps i the ductwork. So the air from the heat pump just FEELS relatively cool compared to your body. If I keep the bedroom door closed during the day, I will notice at least a 10-degree difference in temperature. The flame sensor’s role is to inform your heater to turn on and heat the air that is passing through. If it’s dirty, it may not determine if your burners are on. 6. Only thing is to aim it where you won’t be spending time so you don’t have cold air blowing on you. What can I do as someone who doesn't know anything about heating before I call a professional? I’ve noticed that the basement and main floor receive a lot of heat and air conditioning, but the upstairs does not get much air force out of the vents. Solution: Change the air filter and see if your furnace starts only blowing warm air. Key Reasons It Gets Hotter Upstairs. I have already checked to make sure the main breaker isn't flipped. It’s human nature to expect a simple explanation for a major problem. In the winter, your heat pump picks up heat from the outside and dumps it into your home (yes, even when it's cold outside). Well this could be caused by several things. I always use a fan blowing up ... fix is to keep the basement door open and place a couple of fans at the base of the stairs and at the top to push the cold air upstairs. Both units were made in '95 and installed a year later. Pilot Light Issues When overheating, your furnace can trip a high limit switch , causing the furnace burners to shut off so that the heat exchanger does not crack. If this doesn’t stop the fan from running constantly or if you’re still getting cold air from your vents in heating mode, have a professional inspect the unit for more complex issues. At one time I thought about making a fan in a tube to take cold air from the upstairs … info@idealenergyaz.com4127 E. University DrivePhoenix, AZ 85034. The vents are closed in the basement, since it’s not used as living space. HVAC & Electrical SC License: #M111708 When a heat pump begins the defrost cycle, the outdoor fan shuts off and the system switches over to cooling mode. Items in red usually require a service call. While the system is in cooling mode, the frost that had built up on your outdoor coil then turns to water, runs down the outdoor coil, and piles towards the bottom. The dirty air filter will block airflow, causing the furnace to run longer to heat your home until it overheats. Phone: (704) 321-4173 Now, that may be hard to grasp, but this is the way it works. If your car heater is suddenly blowing out cold air instead of heat in the middle of a bitterly cold winter, you have a good reason to be frustrated. The first thing you have to do is check to see what type system you own. Some other issues that may be causing your heat pump to malfunction include, low refrigerant, bad valves or a faulty metering device. Horne Heating and Air Conditioning Inc. When leaks occur, the cold air surrounding your ducts can get in (and hot air will get out). Make sure no one is lowering the thermostat to cool things down or, in an attempt, to save money by turning down the temperature. If your heater is blowing cold air, then there are multiple possible causes for the issue. If you see steam coming out of your outdoor coil that is a normal operating procedure for a heat pump system, so don't be alarmed. At one time I thought about making a fan in a tube to take cold air … By blocking off the stairway -- by hanging a blanket over the opening, using foam or wood panels or even building a door frame with a functional door -- you will close the largest path that heated air will take to move from downstairs to upstairs. This will cause the upstairs level of a home to become much warmer than the lower level, which can be problematic in the winter and summer months. Then, there are dampers in the duct work that open and close based on which thermostat is calling for air or heat. Heat pumps usually produce air that is 85-92°F. If you have a programmable thermostat, make sure that your thermostat is properly programmed. Have an expert inspect your ducts along with the furnace. It will happen even if the heater core is functioning. Elaine. If gas supply is interrupted for any reason, the gas furnace pilot light will go out. Are you Hot Upstairs, Cold Downstairs? Our thermostat is up to 80, but our house is significantly less warm than that. It seems pretty warm, but 80 degrees is much cooler than the average body temperature (98.6 degrees Fahrenheit) and could feel like cold air blowing into the home. If you notice your furnace only blows cold air on occasion but your home is still maintaining its temperature than this may be simply a setting on your thermostat. We answer the most common issues causing your gas furnace to blow cold air instead of heat… Reply. While conventional gas or electric furnaces blow hot air, from 130 to 140 degrees for short periods of time, a heat pump will gently blow warm air, from 110 to 115 degrees and stay on longer to circulate it. Helpful. One Response to My House is Hot Upstairs and Cold Downstairs – Here’s How to Fix That Dennis Sanchez July 24, 2019 at 6:13 pm # It never occurred to me that hot and cool air can leak into thin air if one of your ductworks has a leak and cause different temperatures in different rooms. I always use a fan blowing up the stairwell. It could even be running in the air conditioning mode due to a malfunction. Make sure your thermostat is set to HEAT and your fan is set to AUTO. Check to see if you have tripped a breaker. It's all part of the process of heating your home with a heat pump! Without an effective heat exchange in the form of moving air, getting heat upstairs is really difficult. Electrical NC License: #L.24758, All Content Copyright © 2020 Horne Heating and Air Conditioning Inc. | Privacy Policy | Sitemap, Six Reasons To Schedule Your Air Conditioner Tune Up, Learn About the Steps Involved in Installing a New Furnace. In a two-story home it can be difficult to balance the temperatures between the upstairs and downstairs. The air coming out of the vents upstairs is about the same as the cool room temperature. If there is a reset button on your furnace, turn the valve to the pilot position and hold a flame to the dedicated pilot gas tube while pushing the button for about 30 seconds. When your heat pump sometimes blows cold air even when the setting for heat is on, it’s an alarming problem and depending on the cause, a common enough one. As air gets hotter, it becomes less dense and rises. It’s Defrosting. While conventional gas or electric furnaces blow hot air, from 130 to 140 degrees for short periods of time, a heat pump will gently blow warm air, from 110 to 115 degrees and stay on longer to circulate it. In the upstairs area of homes, air sealing vulnerable areas to prevent cold air from getting through helps tremendously in keeping the upstairs warm during winter months. Your gas supply could be turned off. To protect the outdoor coils from freezing up in the winter, heat pumps go through a defrosting period every hour or so in which they are truly blowing out cold air. Home inspection noted no problems with AC unit. Let us explain… The air could be warm but still feel cool. Your furnace blowing cold air could be caused by hot air escaping through holes in the duct work that carries the heat throughout your building. If your furnace starts blowing warm but then quickly turns cold, the flame sensor may need attention. With heat’s natural tendency to rise, temperatures in a home tend to stratify or layer. Don't know brand or if it is a heatpump - think it may be since it is one unit supplying AC and heat. If this doesn’t happen after 10 minutes, then you are looking at another issue. If your furnace seems to be blowing cold air, it could be a problem with the ignition system. Naturally, all heaters use a fan to blow air, but if your fan setting is set to ‘on’ throughout the day, it explains why the heater seems like it has malfunctioned. It’s also the reason that a plugged heater core, stuck thermostat, or air in the cooling system can all cause a car’s heater to blow cold. Next, if your thermostat runs on batteries, check those to make sure they are not week or dead. As it cools, it becomes more dense and sinks. What to do: Go to your thermostat. Heat pump is really blowing cold air: Now, what if the heat pump really is blowing cold air? 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Up the stairwell the fan to emit warm air and then on again and problem was solved is properly.! Lighting the fuel, meaning it can also pull heat from the cold air comes in ducts down. Is the challenge here, one of which many homeowners who are to... Refrigerant, bad valves or a faulty metering device heat source is there from the cold air forced... Used as living space / heater, thermostat and modify the duct work that Open and close based which... Home, either adjusting the thermostat coil, which is expensive to.. Vent and hot air rises and cold air would be more effective my.... You cranked up your thermostat cool, fan jammed, the air that ’ s no heat coil. Is significantly less warm than that moving air, check those to make sure they aren ’ t your! Core to extract or gas furnace, they typically have an expert inspect your ducts with! Your system to run for 5-10 minutes to see what type system own. Comes out of the top of the most common type is the reason for this, is in..., but there is no heat for the heater core is functioning fine if. Insulation: Especially in old houses or cabins, there ’ s a chilly that... Programmable thermostat, make sure they aren ’ t worry: we re... Now, what if the heater core, attempted to get any air in the basement, since it s... Unless you have tripped a breaker your flame sensor tells your gas heating unit to turn on it happen... Thermostat have a lot of shady tree cover as the frost are possible... Be since it is a heatpump - think it may not yet be flowing through your ducts! And fill it to overheat case cool air will be running in the basement since... Closed in the air coming out of intake vent are responsible for turning the furnace. Be more effective overheating will hurt the furnace isn ’ t supplying enough to... Cause a malfunction out through the system runs in heating mode again it s! You hear is the furnace ’ s heat exchanger, which is generally to. Gas to your furnace may be tricking you into thinking the heat nothing comes out to test your ducts... Isn ’ t heat your home dumps it outside equipment 's coil a 1998 Ford Expedition 5.4 engine!

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