Where is your heating, ventilation, and cooling system’s (HVAC’s) thermostat located? The thermostat is the primary interface that allows you to control your home’s indoor temperature.
When you adjust the thermostat, the AC system or furnace will run to achieve the specified temperature. The thermostat, however, needs to be installed in the right location of your home. Poor placement can lead to several problems, some of which can lower your HVAC system’s performance.
Inaccurate Sensor Readings
When installed in the wrong location, the thermostat may suffer from inaccurate sensor readings. All thermostats work in conjunction with a sensor. The sensor is a device that’s designed to read the temperature of the surrounding air.
Some thermostats have a built-in sensor, whereas others have a remote sensor. Assuming your thermostat has a built-in sensor, poor placement may result in inaccurate readings.
If your thermostat is installed near a heat source, such as a fireplace or stove, the built-in sensor will read the temperature as being higher than what it really is inside of your home.
Also, thermostats installed in direct sunlight may suffer from inaccurate readings because exposure to sunlight may heat up the sensor.
Zoning Issues
If you have a zoned HVAC system, you’ll need to pay close attention to where each of the thermostats is installed.
Zones HVAC systems don’t have a single thermostat. Rather, they have multiple thermostats. Each zone typically has a separate thermostat, which is used to control the temperature of the respective zone.
Poor thermostat placement can lead to problems with zoned HVAC systems. If one of the thermostats is installed directly next to an adjacent zone, for instance, conditioned air from the adjacent zone may interfere with its operations.
The conditioned air from the nearby zone may cause the thermostat to “think” that the air is cooler or warmer than what it really is in the zone it controls.
Ease of Access
Thermostats are manually controlled. Whether you have a traditional HVAC system with a single thermostat or a zoned HVAC system with multiple thermostats, you’ll need to access them to adjust the temperature in your home.
If a thermostat is installed in the wrong location, you may have trouble accessing it. Thermostats installed in the attic or even on the upper floors of homes are oftentimes difficult to access. For convenience purposes, thermostats need to be installed in an area where you can easily access them.
If you are experiencing a problem with your air conditioning or heating call us at 512-336-1431 to schedule an appointment. We’ll be glad to come out and take a look at the issue.
1431-183 A/C & Heating proudly serves Round Rock, Georgetown, Cedar Park, Pflugerville, Leander, Liberty Hill, and North Austin.
