A. I get asked this question frequently. We wanted to address this, as many times homeowners think this is an issue with their heating and cooling system, but if they have a heat pump, it's actually typically a very normal process. Hi, my heater is blowing cold air upstairs...The downstairs works fine...When I put both thermostat on and went up to check them, the one working had gas burning and the one did not. info@idealenergyaz.com4127 E. University DrivePhoenix, AZ 85034. The air upstairs is significantly colder than downstairs, in fact you can feel the change as you go up the stairs. If your furnace is blowing cold air, we’re sorry! on Jun 14, 2017. This might sound crazy, but a heat pump can be working just fine even if the air feels cold. Do I need a bigger air conditioner? Helpful. 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. I have a 1998 Ford Expedition 5.4 V8 engine, It is blowing cold air, no heat. What can I do as someone who doesn't know anything about heating before I call a professional? Warm air rises. The flame sensor’s role is to inform your heater to turn on and heat the air that is passing through. 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. 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. Heat rising upstairs will always take the path of least resistance, and the stairway allows a massive transfer of heated air to the upstairs. In a two-story home it can be difficult to balance the temperatures between the upstairs and downstairs. Hot roof. Please help! 6805 Craig Street HVAC & Electrical SC License: #M111708 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). I have been told to try and replace the water pump. As soon as the thermostat registers that the temperature has fallen below a certain threshold point, the system kicks on, blowing furnace-heated air … This will lead to heat blowing out cold air. 2nd story homes consistently struggle to cool the upstairs and usually run 5+ degrees off from the thermostat reading on […] My furnace is blowing cold air, people tell me all the time in the winter. Then, turn the gas valve to the off position and wait five minutes. This is the reason that it takes a while for heaters to start blowing warm air. hi I have a lennox cb28-uh-036-230-02, two systems running, one for downstairs and one for upstairs. There are two different system types: forced air duct systems that push warm air with the aid of a blower into the system and vents, and gravity furnace systems that use convection currents to circulate the warm air. As it cools, it becomes more dense and sinks. Unfortunately, these are issues that will need to be remedied by a professional. 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. Learn how to test your air ducts for leaks. 11. Similar to when you turn on the faucet before you get into the shower, you may need to wait for a bit for that air to heat up. You don’t really notice it downstairs, because your heat source is there. If it’s dirty, it may not determine if your burners are on. By replacing the register covers with register/fan units more cold air is forced out of the upstairs ducts. Solution: Change the air filter and see if your furnace starts only blowing warm air. But your HVAC system is very complicated. Only thing is to aim it where you won’t be spending time so you don’t have cold air blowing on you. Your roof absorbs a ton of heat from the sun, unless you have a lot of shady tree cover. There are several possible causes for a furnace blowing cold air, so it’s hard to give you advice without more information. If the air conditioner is big enough to cool the whole house then air circulation is most likely the trouble. What to do: Go to your thermostat. Leaking Air Ducts – If the ducts connected to your second floor are leaking cold air, then of course your upstairs will not be cold. Compromised flame sensor. If gas supply is interrupted for any reason, the gas furnace pilot light will go out. Don't panic if you see frost on your outside equipment's coil. Compromised flame sensor. At one time I thought about making a fan in a tube to take cold air from the upstairs … If I keep the bedroom door closed during the day, I will notice at least a 10-degree difference in temperature. It could even be running in the air conditioning mode due to a malfunction. Don't know if you have a heat pump? If you live in the Jacksonville area, you should contact a heating and AC Jacksonville specialist , like Snyder Heating & Air, to determine whether you need to air seal your home. Below is a list of possible causes. But it is definitely still heating your home. The first thing you have to do is check to see what type system you own. Have you cranked up your thermostat to knock the chill down only to discover that your heater is Heat pumps usually produce air that is 85-92°F. 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. An air lock prevents the coolant from circulating properly and can cut your heat output. Hot air rises and cold air sinks. 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. If you have an electric furnace, a tripped breaker can cause problems and heat won’t be able to circulate through your home, in fact, the system may not run at all. Without an effective heat exchange in the form of moving air, getting heat upstairs is really difficult. It’s Defrosting. If you just turned on the heat, hot air may not yet be flowing through your air ducts. COVID-19 Update From Ideal Energy--Keeping Customers & Employees Safe. Q. When a heat pump begins the defrost cycle, the outdoor fan shuts off and the system switches over to cooling mode. 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. Now, that may be hard to grasp, but this is the way it works. 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. The sound you hear is the reversing valve switching your unit over to cooling mode. Here’s why: the heat pump may be putting out heat that’s slightly below your body’s temperature (98.6 degrees F, just FYI). When your furnace isn’t running, the air in your ducts cools down. Improper Insulation: Especially in old houses or cabins, there’s no real insulation. on Jun 14, 2017. If you live in the Jacksonville area, you should contact a heating and AC Jacksonville specialist , like Snyder Heating & Air, to determine whether you need to air seal your home. You may have noticed a loud sound right before cold air blows out through the vents in your home. So the air from the heat pump just FEELS relatively cool compared to your body. In the summer, a heat pump picks up the heat in your home and dumps it outside. Items in red usually require a service call. 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. The heat is coming out of the vents in the living room and kitchen, but my infant's rooms and my room are freezing. 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. Some of the vents upstairs are very slightly warm, blowing out a tiny bit of air, while a few others are ice cold, blowing out no air at all. Routine maintenance could have prevented this call from ever happening. How to Improve Heat to a Second Floor. My heat is blowing out cold air from the vents - Answered by a verified HVAC Technician We use cookies to give you the best possible experience on our website. Key Reasons It Gets Hotter Upstairs. If your pilot light refuses to remain lit, this is an indication of a problem that will need to be fixed by a professional. As it cools, it becomes more dense and sinks. 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. Some other issues that may be causing your heat pump to malfunction include, low refrigerant, bad valves or a faulty metering device. Solution: Set the heater to its maximum setting, remove the coolant tank cap and fill it to the proper level. One of the most common causes of a furnace blowing cold air is not actually a repair at all. If your heat pump has iced over or if drifting snow has covered up the unit, this can cause a malfunction. Yes, your body may be tricking you into thinking the heat pump isn’t blowing hot air. 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. Then, there are dampers in the duct work that open and close based on which thermostat is calling for air or heat. Your gas supply could be turned off. That outside air in the mix lowers the temperature of the air that’s just come from your furnace. Simply put, the furnace inside the equipment needs to get heated up for the fan to emit warm air. Check The Thermostat. Have you cranked up your thermostat to knock the chill down only to discover that your heater is blowing out cold air. If your furnace starts blowing warm but then quickly turns cold, the flame sensor may need attention. Solution #1 – Add an additional unit, thermostat and modify the duct work. The vents are closed in the basement, since it’s not used as living space. In other words, it's not putting out any heat at all. Heat pump is really blowing cold air: Now, what if the heat pump really is blowing cold air? With heat’s natural tendency to rise, temperatures in a home tend to stratify or layer. This too can cause your heater to blow cold air. As the frost builds up on the outdoor coil, it could potentially inhibit the ability for air to flow across that coil. I always use a fan blowing up the stairwell. It can also stop the burners from igniting. If your furnace seems to be blowing cold air, it could be a problem with the ignition system. Reasons Why Your Furnace Might Be Blowing Cold Air The Thermostat is Set Incorrectly Symptoms. 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. 7. Allow your system to run for 5-10 minutes to see if the air warms. 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