In most parts of Australia, the cooling function is the most important part of a typical HVAC installation. Indeed, most homes are set up with a ducted system that will channel the cold air throughout the home and keep the occupants as cool as possible through the long summer season. Yet winter can still make its presence felt and when June or July rolls around, the mercury can sometimes plummet. In this case, the homeowner will automatically turn the switch over to "heat," but may not always achieve the desired result. If you're in this situation and find that you've got cool air coming out of your ducts instead, what should you look at?
Sequencing
In this type of HVAC system, the heating part will rely on an electric furnace that will trigger individual heating elements and generate heat through a sequence of coils. These individual coils are designed to load up individually rather than all at once, and this process is controlled by a part known as a sequencer. This is one area to look at because if the sequencer is not working properly then the coils may remain in the off position.
Defective
Alternatively, one of those individual heating components may be defective and, in this case, may stop the sequencer from doing its work. If that defective coil is toward the lower end of the sequence, you will be left without any heat at all.
Failsafe
Most modern-day systems have a failsafe device as well and they are designed to turn everything off if the furnace begins to overheat. In this case, a defective limiter may have switched everything off before it was able to generate any heat and the control device may need to be replaced.
Distribution
Of course, once heat is generated through those elements and coils, it must be distributed through the ducting system to reach your living room. This will rely on a blower (which is effectively a big fan) and you'll need to check to see if the motor is working correctly. If it is burned out, it will need to be replaced before you can get back to normal.
Looking Further
Call in a qualified technician to have a look at all these individual components and see whether one is defective. They may also find issues with the wiring systems or relays and these may need to be addressed before you can finally begin to warm up.
Reach out to an HVAC contractor in your area for more information about heating repair.
