I have central air conditioning and being in Florida I rarely need to turn
the heat on. The cooling seems to work fine. I set the thermostat to 70
and if it heats up above 70 it kicks in.

But the heater is not working fine. I set the same thermostat to 70, so the
heater should kick in after it drops below 70 but it does not. I see the
thermostat temperature go to 65 and it still does not kick on. If I adjust
the setting to like 80, then after a few minutes it may come on, or might
not. but then it will make it so hot and not turn off until it's way above
80.

Is this a problem with the AC unit or the thermostat? If it's the
thermostat is this a defect that needs repair/replacement or a calibration
issue? Something I can do myself or require a AC repair man?

Thanks,

MC

"miamicuse" wrote in message
...
I have central air conditioning and being in Florida I rarely need to turn
the heat on. The cooling seems to work fine. I set the thermostat to 70
and if it heats up above 70 it kicks in.

But the heater is not working fine. I set the same thermostat to 70, so
the
heater should kick in after it drops below 70 but it does not. I see the
thermostat temperature go to 65 and it still does not kick on. If I
adjust
the setting to like 80, then after a few minutes it may come on, or might
not. but then it will make it so hot and not turn off until it's way above
80.

Is this a problem with the AC unit or the thermostat? If it's the
thermostat is this a defect that needs repair/replacement or a calibration
issue? Something I can do myself or require a AC repair man?


What kind of thermostat? A programmable electronic or one with a bimatellic
strip
and mercury switch inside? Is this a heatpump system or a traditional
separate heater/AC?

Ted

miamicuse wrote:

I have central air conditioning and being in Florida I rarely need to turn
the heat on. The cooling seems to work fine. I set the thermostat to 70
and if it heats up above 70 it kicks in.

But the heater is not working fine. I set the same thermostat to 70, so the
heater should kick in after it drops below 70 but it does not. I see the
thermostat temperature go to 65 and it still does not kick on. If I adjust
the setting to like 80, then after a few minutes it may come on, or might
not. but then it will make it so hot and not turn off until it's way above
80.

Is this a problem with the AC unit or the thermostat? If it's the
thermostat is this a defect that needs repair/replacement or a calibration
issue? Something I can do myself or require a AC repair man?

Thanks,

MC

Depending upon your "heater", it could be that you simply aren't giving
it enough time to cycle on the indoor blower. The t-stat could very well
be malfunctioning, but then there are several other component of the
heater circuit that could cause exactly the same symptoms. Best bet is
the yellow pages.

Richard Perry

miamicuse wrote:
I have central air conditioning and being in Florida I rarely need to
turn the heat on. The cooling seems to work fine. I set the
thermostat to 70 and if it heats up above 70 it kicks in.

It would help to know what kind of thermostat you have.

I would also suggest that you not set the heat and the cool temp to the
same temp. Logically you are asking it to heat and cool at 70º. I would
suggest at least 2º difference and 5º would be better. It will also save
you some money.


...
Thanks,

MC

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit

Some thermostats (actually most of the ones I've seen) have a selector for
off, cool, heat, or fan only.

Have a look for a small switch wtih those options. Very few thermostats do
heat and cool with the same switch setting.

--

Christopher A. Young
You can't shout down a troll.
You have to starve them.
..

"miamicuse" wrote in message
...
I have central air conditioning and being in Florida I rarely need to turn
the heat on. The cooling seems to work fine. I set the thermostat to 70
and if it heats up above 70 it kicks in.

But the heater is not working fine. I set the same thermostat to 70, so the
heater should kick in after it drops below 70 but it does not. I see the
thermostat temperature go to 65 and it still does not kick on. If I adjust
the setting to like 80, then after a few minutes it may come on, or might
not. but then it will make it so hot and not turn off until it's way above
80.

Is this a problem with the AC unit or the thermostat? If it's the
thermostat is this a defect that needs repair/replacement or a calibration
issue? Something I can do myself or require a AC repair man?

Thanks,

MC

It sort of look like this one, not exactly:

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0...CLZZZZZZZ_.jpg

But it is an analog thing. At the bottom is the temperature gauge with
a setting for a temperature. You move it left or right to set the
temperature.

On the top is the current temperature, and it is a hand showing the
temperature. To the right is a analog switch to go from OFF to FAN to
AUTO. And below that another switch from COOL to OFF to HEAT.

If I set the temperature dial to 70, AUTO and COOL, when the
temperature rises to above 70, the fan turns on and the AC starts
cooling until it dips to below 70 and stops.

If I set the temperature dial to 70, AUTO and HEAT, when the
temperature dips below 70, nothing happens. If it dips to 65 nothing
happens. If I adjust the gauge and reset the temperature to 80, and
wait 15 minutes, it comes on, and it heats and heats and may not turn
off for a long time. If while it's on, I reduce the gauge to 70, it
will stop after say 5, 10 minutes.

Is it normal to take that long to start or stop the heater?

Why is the setting need to be set so high to simply kick it on?

I just need to know if this is something I can calibrate or I need a
pro.

Thanks,

MC


Stormin Mormon wrote:
Some thermostats (actually most of the ones I've seen) have a selector for
off, cool, heat, or fan only.

Have a look for a small switch wtih those options. Very few thermostats do
heat and cool with the same switch setting.

--

Christopher A. Young
You can't shout down a troll.
You have to starve them.
.

"miamicuse" wrote in message
...
I have central air conditioning and being in Florida I rarely need to turn
the heat on. The cooling seems to work fine. I set the thermostat to 70
and if it heats up above 70 it kicks in.

But the heater is not working fine. I set the same thermostat to 70, so the
heater should kick in after it drops below 70 but it does not. I see the
thermostat temperature go to 65 and it still does not kick on. If I adjust
the setting to like 80, then after a few minutes it may come on, or might
not. but then it will make it so hot and not turn off until it's way above
80.

Is this a problem with the AC unit or the thermostat? If it's the
thermostat is this a defect that needs repair/replacement or a calibration
issue? Something I can do myself or require a AC repair man?

Thanks,

MC

The thermostat you have is an basic mechanical model and is likely old
as the hills. Wouldn't you rather have a new digital one which will
automatically set the temperature for various periods? That way you
can have it set to automatically save energy when you are asleep or
away, which will pay for itself in no time, if you use it correctly.

I'd get a new one and see if that fixes the problem. The symptoms are
rather strange, but I would say it's still most likely the thermostat.
And from the way it's behaving, it's not something that an adjustment
will fix.

Features to look for in a new one:

how many different days you can set a schedule for. the best ones
allow 4 seperate time/temp settings for each day. others only allow
one setting for weekdays, another for weekends

adapative recovery - with most programmable thermostats, you set the
time for the change to start to take effect. For example, if you want
it to be 70 at 7AM, you have to set it to go to 70 at say 6:15 so it
will have time to get there. the best ones have adaptive recovery,
where you just set it for 70 at 7AM and the thermostat learns what time
to start the change to get the temp there

vacation hold - all of them have a hold, which will just maintain the
setting indefinitely. The best ones have the ability to specify a
number of days to hold for. This allows you to set it down to say 50
while away for a week, yet have it resume before you return, so the
house is at the right temp.

MiamiCuse wrote:
It sort of look like this one, not exactly:

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/B0...CLZZZZZZZ_.jpg


You got an oldie there. Time to retire it. You can get a replacement
for very little and you can replace it yourself. Ask the guy at the hardware
store. Or you can pay to have someone replace it for you. I strongly
suspect that the thermostat is dead and not worth trying to fix it.

Consider your options at the store. They will be able to show you what
they have that will work and what each one does. Personally like the newer
digital ones and I like it to adjust the temp for me day and night. In fact
I don't have to tell mine if it want heat or cooling, it knows. However the
basic ones also work, unlike the one you have now.

--
Joseph Meehan

Dia duit