Why Is My Heater Blowing Cool Air?
It can be easy to underestimate just how important a great heater is when you live in an area that is not exactly well-known for cold winter weather. That being said, however, even “mild” winters can cause considerable discomfort, and this is especially true when your heater just isn’t pulling its weight anymore. Now, you may think that you don’t have a problem on your hands so long as your heater is up and running. That’s not really true, though.
Sure, your heater is running—but is it running to the best of its capabilities? Remember, not every problem that your heater may encounter is going to cause it to break down entirely. Many are going to affect its performance to varying degrees. A fairly obvious sign of trouble is a forced air heater, like a furnace or a heat pump, that is blowing cool air. If you have this problem, then it is time to schedule heating repairs in Raleigh with our team.
Is the Problem Localized?
If you only have cool air blowing in a single room or area of your home, then you very likely have leaky ductwork to deal with. Air ducts may develop leaks for a number of reasons, including any of the following:
- Corrosion due to moisture damage.
- Pests.
- Bad connections/installation methods.
- New construction.
Whatever the case, you need to remember that only skilled, trained professionals can successfully seal your air ducts. Simply adding your own duct tape to repair holes will not work. This is not a good method of duct sealing; duct tape degrades quite rapidly. Professional duct sealing technicians will find the leaks accurately and they’ll seal them using special mastic designed for this purpose.
Is the Problem Pervasive throughout Your Home?
If so, you may have an issue with your burner or the electric heating elements in an electric furnace. Perhaps temperatures are not getting hot enough in the combustion chamber to sufficiently heat the air spread throughout your home. In the case of a heat pump, however, you may actually have a refrigerant leak.
If you are familiar with the problem in central air conditioners, then you have an idea of how serious this issue really is. A refrigerant leak is going to seriously impede your heat pump’s heating output. Remember, heat pumps do not generate new heat. They transfer heat in the air outside into your home. In order to do so, they evaporate and condense refrigerant.
A refrigerant leak will make your system work harder to heat your home, driving up energy costs. That added strain also makes problems with your heat pump more likely. Plus, you’ll probably wind up replacing your system sooner because a refrigerant leak can cause such extensive compressor damage.
If you notice a heat pump struggling and short cycling, or if your furnace is pumping out cool air, then you need to schedule heating repairs right away. Mild weather does not mean that such problems can wait!