And… we’re back! Did you enjoy Part 1 of “Home Heating 101”? The helpful folks here at GAMA Air want all of our friends and neighbors here in the Beverly Hills, Culver City, Mar Vista, Miracle Mile, Hollywood, West Hollywood, Los Angeles, West Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Marina Del Rey, Pacific Palisades, Brentwood, Bel Air, Westwood, Downtown Los Angeles, Vernon, Huntington Park, Sherman Oaks, Encino area to have a better understanding of what goes on when they are firing up their home’s central heating system.
Now let’s move on to something a little meatier. But don’t be scared off! Like we said in Part 1, we’re going to keep it simple. Do you remember what we said about the control and the process? We will start by talking about the control.
BASIC FACT: Any heating system, from those installed in houses to those installed in skyscrapers, has to know how much heat is needed and when to add the heat. In your house, the thermostat fills that essential need. A heater simply can’t work without a thermostat. Nowadays thermostats may be given fancy names like “smart thermostat”, “connected thermostat”, “learning thermostat”, or even “comfort controller”. And they may have other features like showing what the weather forecast is for the next few days, showing whether or not it is time to change your air filter, allowing you to program times you will be at home or away from home, or possibly even sensing whether you are home or not. However, the basic function of a thermostat is telling your central heating and air system how much heat your house needs.
What goes on under the hood? At its core the thermostat operates based on a temperature setting. Let’s take a real-life example. You want the temperature in your home to be 72 degrees, so you set the thermostat to 72. When the temperature inside is cooler than that the thermostat turns on the heater to start moving adding heat to your house. When the temperature goes above 72 degrees, then enough heat has been added to your home and the heater turns off.
The most basic model of thermostats will allow the temperature to go up or down a few degrees from your set temperature so that your heater isn’t turning on and off a lot. More advanced thermostats add some calculations to that to cycle your home’s heating system enough to keep the temperature steady without so much of that up and down temperature swing.
See? This isn’t so hard, is it? Now, how about this question: How does knowing this make you better off? Here’s how: Now that you know the important role of your thermostat, you know that its location is just as important. When we say “the temperature in your home”, what we really mean is the temperature right where your thermostat is located. Make sure your thermostat is correctly located and accurately reflects the temperature throughout your home. If all the air is being pulled through one return air grill then near that is a safe bet. If your heating system has return air vents scattered throughout the house then the location can be a little tricky. Here are some tips: It should not be on an exterior wall; It should not be in a room that gets closed off frequently. Put it more or less in a central location.
Need help right away with your home’s heating or cooling system? Call GAMA Air at (310) 651-6936 or use our online form to schedule a visit at a time convenient to you for a service call. We guarantee your satisfaction 100%.
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