Getting cold air on a chilly day from your vents when you have the AC on is not only annoying, it can be a sign of a more significant issue. You expect the thermostat to automatically adjust the temperature to ensure your home is comfortable no matter what the weather is like outside. An Ecobee thermostat that blows cold air through its intake vent indicates it’s time to take action.
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You can fix an Ecobee thermostat AC blowing cold air through the intake vent by resetting the breaker switch and the minimum and maximum temperatures, disabling smart recovery, and disabling fan auto. These fixes ensure your AC adjusts its air temperature to match the surroundings.
In the rest of this article, I’ll discuss how to fix your Ecobee thermostat AC that blows cold air through its intake vent. I’ll also discuss the leading causes of this issue. Stay tuned!
1. Reset a Tripped Breaker Switch
Ecobee thermostat ACs have a breaker switch at the main panel. This switch is meant to protect the AC from power surges. This switch trips and shuts off the AC when there’s a power surge. The problem is that the breaker switch doesn’t always reset itself. This can cause your AC to blow cold air through its intake vent.
When you realize your AC is blowing cold air through its intake vent, the first thing to do is check if the breaker switch is tripped and reset it.
The following procedure will help you check and reset the breaker switch:
- Unplug the AC unit from the power outlet.
- Locate the breaker switch at the main panel and flip it to the on position.
- Plug the AC unit back into the power outlet.
- Turn on the breaker switch.
Check to ensure that power is being supplied to the furnace. You can do this using a multimeter.
Repeat the steps above if the furnace still doesn’t have power.
Read: Why Ecobee Shuts Off Before Reaching Temperature? – Troubleshooting Guide
2. Rest Misadjusted Minimum and Maximum Temperature Setting
Ecobee thermostat ACs come with a heat/cool minimum delta. This feature protects your AC from damage by preventing short cycling. It does this by preventing the AC from turning on when there’s a slight temperature difference between the set and current room temperatures.
The problem is that if the minimum delta is misadjusted, it can cause your AC to blow cold air through its intake vent when it should be blowing hot air.
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The heat/cool minimum delta feature is typically set at 5 degrees. However, depending on your room temperature, you can adjust it to be anywhere from 0.0 to 12.0 degrees.
Follow the procedure below to check and reset your heat/cool minimum delta:
- Access the main menu on your Ecobee thermostat.
- Select “Settings” and scroll down to System Settings.
- Select “Heat/Cool Minimum Delta” and use the arrow keys to set the temperature difference to a comfortable value based on your room temperature.
Read: Ecobee Lite 3 Vs. Ecobee Smart Thermostat: Differences, Worth Of Upgrade?
3. Disable Smart Recovery
Smart recovery is the learning feature on your Ecobee thermostat designed to save you money on your energy bill. It does this by automatically adjusting the temperature based on your past usage.
The problem is that learning takes time, and smart recovery may make mistakes. For instance, your Ecobee thermostat can blow cold air when it should be blowing hot air. There are two solutions to this problem:
- Wait for the smart recovery feature to learn your schedule and adjust itself, or
- Disable the smart recovery feature.
If you disable the smart recovery feature, you’ll have to manually set custom schedules to adjust the temperature according to your preference.
Follow the procedure below to disable smart recovery:
- Go to the main menu
- Select “Settings”
- Choose preferences
- Navigate to heat smart recovery or cool smart recovery
- Select “Disable”
4. Reset Fan Operation
Your Ecobee thermostat can mismanage your HVAC fan by keeping it on when it should be off to prevent cooling the air.
Ecobee thermostats sets the fan to “auto,” meaning it cools the air continuously without regulating it based on surrounding temperatures. A fan that blows constantly all day and night will eventually cool the air to the point where your AC has to work harder to heat it back up. This can cause your AC to blow cold air through its intake vent.
The following procedure will help you reset your fan operation:
- Go to the main menu
- Select “Settings”
- Choose comfort settings
- Scroll down to fan settings
Choose auto or continuous, depending on your preference. Select auto if you want the fan to turn off when the AC is not in use. Otherwise, select on if you want the fan to blow continuously.
Read: Why Ecobee Thermostat Runs For 5 Mins And Then Shuts Off?
5. Reset a Tripped Safety Sensor
Ecobee thermostats have safety sensors whose work is to protect your AC from damage. These sensors are usually located in the outdoor unit.
Safety sensors trip when the furnace overheats. When this happens, the heater stops working as its power supply is cut off.
In most cases, a furnace overheats for the following reasons:
- Dirty air filters: These reduce airflow through the furnace. Reduced airflow causes the furnace to overheat due to insufficient air for cooling. Therefore, you should regularly check and clean air filters for the furnace’s safety.
- Clogged vents: These don’t extract hot air from the furnace leading to overheating.
- Faulty blower motor: A faulty blower means reduced circulation within the furnace.
- Overworked furnace: A furnace that overworks is bound to overheat due to increased friction between its parts. Overworking a furnace can also be caused by the surrounding temperatures. The furnace works extra hard to create a conducive environment in extremely cold temperatures.
The solution to this problem is to reset the safety sensor. You can do this by:
- Turning off the power to the furnace at the breaker box.
- Removing the access panel on the furnace.
- Locating the safety sensor and unplug it from its socket.
- Waiting for 30 seconds before re-plugging it back
Other safety practices to prevent the furnace from overheating and tripping the safety sensor include:
- Cleaning the blower fan and the coils at least twice a year.
- Regularly checking and replacing air filters.
- Inspecting the furnace for any rust or corrosion.
- Ensuring that all ductwork is sealed correctly.
Read: Can I Use An Ecobee Thermostat In An RV?
6. Check for Faulty Wiring
Wiring is a crucial component of the functioning of your Ecobee thermostat. Efficient wiring ensures proper communication between the thermostat and your AC.
Faulty wiring can cause several problems, including:
- The furnace not receiving power
- The furnace not igniting
- The furnace shutting off prematurely
Luckily for you, Ecobee features smart thermostat enhanced wiring to make your work easier and more efficient. The smart thermostat enhanced has only one R terminal compared to the old model’s five. This means that you’ll have an easier time wiring your thermostat.
Moreover, you can always call an HVAC professional to help unravel wiring issues in your Ecobee thermostat AC.
Read: Can You Use Multiple Ecobee Thermostats In The Same House?
7. Factory Reset Your Ecobee Thermostat
If none of the above solutions work, you can try resetting your Ecobee thermostat. This will erase all your custom settings and restore them to factory defaults.
To reset your Ecobee thermostat:
- Go to the main menu from the home screen
- Select “Settings” with the identification of preference and defaults
- Navigate to reset at the bottom of the menu
- Select “Reset All Settings”
- Confirm when prompted by pressing yes
The video below demonstrates how to factory reset an Ecobee thermostat:
There are different rest options. Therefore, you should choose one that meets your needs as follows:
- Reset all settings: Remove all registration information and resets the thermostat to factory mode.
- Reset contractor info: Reset the details about the installation contractor.
- Reset registration: Resets the link between the thermostat and your web portal.
- HVAC equipment settings: It resets the sensor configuration, threshold, and the HVAC equipment, in this case, the air conditioner.
Your Ecobee thermostat will now be reset, and you can start afresh.
This quick fix might help if your Ecobee thermostat AC is blowing cold air. However, you should consult an HVAC professional for further assistance if the problem persists.
Final Thoughts
Fixing an Ecobee thermostat that blows cold air through the intake vent entails diagnosing the cause and tailoring the most appropriate solution. The different tips elaborated in this article are quick fixes that you can do on your own.
However, consulting an HVAC expert is necessary if the problem persists after trying these solutions. The expert will use their experience and skills to identify the root cause of the problem and remedy it accordingly.