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mckev25

Home heater blowing warm but not hot air.

mckev25
14 years ago

We are renting a condo, and the weather has gotten very cold this past week. The central electric heater in the condo blows out warm air (feels like room temperature, or a little warmer), but not hot. Is there anything we can check before we call our landlord?

We have the thermostat set to 65 during the winter, to save on energy costs. Excuse my ignorance, but does the temperature you set the thermostat at determine the temperature of the air blown out, or does it just determine when the system cuts on and off?

Thanks.

Comments (6)

  • mckev25
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Further to my original post...

    I turned the thermostat up to 70 degrees (or what appeared to be), and put a thermometer right in front of one of the vents. The temperature of the air blowing out peaked at 78.6 degrees, and usually stayed just under 78. That seems low, doesn't it?

  • tigerdunes
    14 years ago

    mckev

    what is your location?

    what is outside temperature?

    what size and type of system do you have?
    is this a heat pump system?

    what size is condo?

    post back.

    IMO

  • mckev25
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    Tigerdunes,

    Thanks for checking in. We are renting a condo which is 1200-1300 sq. ft. We are on the second floor. The outdoor temperature right now during the day is in the 50s, and low 30s at night.

    The unit in the condo appears to be a Goodman (model awb30-05c). I don't know much more than that. It is a pretty small unit. It sits on a shelf in the utility closet, and the water heater takes the other half of the closet on the ground.

    Let me know if that helps, or if you need more info.

    Thanks.

  • engineeredgarden
    14 years ago

    mckev - The thermostst setting is the target temperature - not the temperature of the air coming out. The typical heat pump doesn't have what you would call a gas pedal, but instead is working at full capacity as long as it is running. Your unit is 2 1/2 ton, which is suitable for the room. It may/may not have a small problem, but you can switch to "emergency heat" on the thermostat if necessary.

    EG

  • mckev25
    Original Author
    14 years ago

    EG,

    Thanks. That was my understanding about the thermostat, also, but I had several people tell me to turn up the thermostat 5 extra degrees, to see if that made the air any warmer. I guess they were thinking that something might not be set properly in the unit, and the heating elements aren't kicking on at a lower temperature setting.

    Anywho, what do you mean by "emergency heat"? FYI, I called the landlord, and he is having a tech come out tomorrow.

    Thanks.

  • veesubotee
    14 years ago

    Emergency heat is used when your unit will lose ground and auxiliary heat is not working or been 'instructed' to come on. Emergency heat is enabled on command.

    BTW: I assume you have electrical strip heat. Going to emergency (all electric) is expensive.

    V

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