Common Smart Thermostat Issues

A smart thermostat comes with a variety of useful features that increase the comfort of your Broken Arrow home and help lower heating and cooling costs. However, even though it contains the latest technology, you may experience some problems when using it.

Here are a few smart thermostat issues that you may encounter.

Software Glitch

A number of homeowners have had their smart thermostats go offline unexpectedly due to a server outage or software bug on the part of the manufacturer. Consequently, they're not able to set the temperature remotely as advertised.

If you're planning to be away from home for a significant period, you may want to have an HVAC technician wire in a failsafe thermostat. That will prevent a failed smart thermostat from wreaking havoc on your property while you're not around.

Malfunctioning HVAC System

Older HVAC systems don't provide a common ('C') wire for thermostats. The C wire is a 24-volt supply that's dedicated to charging your smart thermostat. Power stealing smart thermostats can work with the older HVAC models without needing a C wire. They do so by "stealing" power from your system's existing circuits.

Your HVAC circuits aren't designed to power anything. Therefore, your smart thermostat can cause your HVAC system to malfunction as it steals power. To solve the problem, let a technician add a C wire for you.

Dead Batteries

If your smart thermostat is unable to steal enough power, its battery can go dead. You can solve the problem by using the more reliable C wire.

A failed update could also cause your thermostat's battery to behave erratically. If restarting the device manually doesn't help, you may need to contact a pro to check if you have a wiring problem.

Whether smart or normal, any thermostat can fail and cause damage to your HVAC system and property. Whenever you encounter smart thermostat issues that you can't fix yourself, contact an HVAC professional as soon as possible.

If you're in the Broken Arrow area, solve any of your heating and cooling problems now by contacting the HVAC pros at Air Assurance.

Thermostat Best Practices for Fall

The fall season is finally here and you know what that means - time to reevaluate your home's heating and cooling needs! Since many of these needs are tied to your home's thermostat, let's take a look at a few thermostat best practices that you should immediately put on your to-do list.

Upgrade to a More Advanced Unit

If your home still has a manual thermostat, it's definitely time to upgrade to a programmable model. This will allow you to set the dates and times when your heating or cooling system kicks on, which will allow you to have greater control over energy costs.

Pick a Schedule and Stick to It

Once you've set the days and times for your HVAC system to run, make sure that you stay with this schedule whenever possible. Making changes on a regular basis will cause your energy usage and costs to fluctuate.

Enlist the Help of a Qualified Technician

The fall season is a great time to get your HVAC system checked out by a qualified technician, and while he or she is there, why not have your thermostat checked as well? After all, without a fully functional thermostat, you''ll have difficulties with the heating and cooling of your home.

Install a Zoned System

Traditional heating and cooling setups are forced to condition your entire home and eat up valuable energy resources, but this problem can be solved easily with the installation of a zoned system. This system uses multiple thermostats - one for each designated "zone" in your home - to give you better control over your home's comfort needs.

Replace the Batteries

Modern thermostats will tell you when the batteries need to be replaced by either emitting a beeping sound or flashing a small light. Simply open the battery compartment, remove the old batteries, and put in the new ones. It couldn't be easier.

If you need more advice on thermostat best practices or any other home comfort concerns, please contact the friendly professionals at Air Assurance. We've been serving the HVAC needs of Broken Arrow and the surrounding area for over 30 years.

Our goal is to help educate our customers in the Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma area about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about other HVAC topics, call us at 918-217-8273.