What Can Cause a Heater to Run Nonstop?
When the weather gets cold you will likely wish to turn on your home's heaters. If you have a central heat system, you have the luxury of letting the system control the temperature of the whole house for you. You set the thermostat, and the central unit turns on and off as it reaches the lower and upper thresholds of the setting, usually no more than 1 to 2 degrees Fahrenheit apart. But if your heater won’t turn off and is running all the time, the system could be experiencing a problem that needs attention. Does this Spark an idea?
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Extreme Cold
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One thing that will make your heater run almost nonstop is extreme cold. If it is unusually cold outside, the heater may have to stay on almost continually to keep your house at the desired temperature. You could lower the thermostat setting a little to help it out, making it turn off more if you can tolerate the lower level. If the extreme cold is causing your heater to run all the time, there is not necessarily a problem with the system. This is how the heater is supposed to respond to extreme temperatures.
Temperature Settings
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Check to see what your thermostat is set on. You may have selected a temperature that is unreasonably high. If you have set your heater to warm the house to a very high temperature, the heater may have to work without stop to achieve that level of heat or in a futile attempt to achieve it. Try lowering the setting to something in the 70 degree range for it to work normally and save you money on utility bills. An interior temperature of 68 degrees in the winter is considered an economical temperature, though some people can't tolerate temperatures that cool.
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Fan Switch
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There are various settings and switches on a central thermostat. If you have the system set in “fan” mode, it means the blower fan will run continually even if the heating elements or burners aren’t lit to provide more heat. Although there is no new heat being generated, the fans will still run, making it sound like the heater is still going. Try setting your system to an automatic setting so the fan will cut off when it is not heating.
Improperly Sized Equipment
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The size of your heating system may be too small for your house. The size of a heater is measured in BTUs, or British thermal units. The number of BTUs relates to how much warming power the system has. If you have a unit that is too small for your house because of square footage, heat loss or other factors, the equipment might have to run all the time to achieve the temperature you've specified.
Duct Leaks and Insulation
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Heat loss can cause your central heater to run nonstop. If you have breaks in the duct system under the house, much of your heat may be escaping into the air outside. Poor insulation can also quickly release heat to the outside. When this happens, the heater will have to run more often, or even all the time, to try to heat the home. It will also result in much higher utility bills.
Outdoor Unit Considerations
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Your outdoor unit may have a problem if the system is running all the time. If it is snowing, perhaps a snow drift has formed along the side of the outdoor unit and it blocking the air intakes. The weather could have also iced up the unit and it could be malfunctioning as a result.
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References
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