Emerson Thermostat Not Heating [Quick Ways to Fix]

ByNelson Morgan Last Updated on: Troubleshooting

Your Emerson Thermostat is displaying the ‘Heat’ indicator on its screen, but the thermostat won’t blow hot air. You’d love to fix the problem yourself, but you don’t know what to do.

Did that sound like you? Then, you are in the right place. In this post, I’ll show you how to troubleshoot heating issues on your Emerson thermostat, so your home stays warm.

Emerson Sensi Thermostat

First off, you can fix heating issues in your Emerson thermostat by rebooting the thermostat and restarting the heating settings on the thermostat. Other solutions like replacing your batteries and checking your HVAC system for power are also effective for fixing Emerson thermostat heating problems.

I’ll explain these troubleshooting steps in detail below.

How to Fix Emerson Thermostat Heating Problems

Reboot Your Thermostat

One possible reason why your Emerson thermostat may fail to heat is because the device is malfunctioning. A quick reboot should fix this issue.

To reboot your Emerson thermostat, slide the System button to the Off position. Then, wait for 10 seconds before pushing the switch back to Heat.

If your Emerson thermostat is a 1F80 model, you’ll need to press the System button until the Off sign appears on the screen. Then, you can take a breather before setting the thermostat to heat again.

Your Emerson Thermostat should blow hot air now. However, if the thermostat fails to heat, move on to the next step.

Restart Your Thermostat’s Heat Settings

If you’ve been using your thermostat for a while, some of its functions may start misbehaving. The Heat function on the Emerson thermostat is notorious for acting up.

Luckily, there is a solution to this problem. This solution involves restarting the Heat settings you’ve created on the thermostat.

Here’s how to do that:

  • Disable Heat mode by pushing your System button to Off.
  • Then, set the thermostat back to Heat.
  • The default heat temperature will appear on your screen.
  • Press the Up arrow to raise the temperature to your desired setting.
  • Give the thermostat a few seconds to start blowing hot air.

If your thermostat doesn’t release hot air after this, try the next tip.

Replace Your Thermostat Batteries

Your Emerson thermostat requires sufficient battery power to blow hot air across your room.

If the battery is too low, your thermostat may not heat the room at all. Even if it does, the hot air won’t be enough to circulate the entire area. As such, you might think that your thermostat isn’t heating.

Check your thermostat screen to determine if the battery is low. If you see only one bar inside the battery icon, chances are the batteries need a replacement.

Your Emerson thermostat needs two new AAA batteries to function properly. Once you’ve bought the new batteries, follow the guide below to change the batteries in your thermostat:

  • Unmount your thermostat from the wall.
  • Locate the battery case at the back or base of your thermostat.
  • Remove the old batteries and insert the new ones.
  • Finally, remount your thermostat to your wall.

After changing your thermostat’s batteries, wait a few seconds for the thermostat to load and start heating. If the temperature in your room doesn’t change after five minutes, check out the next tip.

Reset Your HVAC Breaker

Did you experience a power outage in your home recently? If so, the circuit breaker for your HVAC system might have tripped off, thus turning off your heater and other climate control devices.

You can resolve this issue by resetting your HVAC breaker. To reset this breaker, turn it off and switch it back on. This should power up your HVAC system and make the thermostat blow hot air.

The HVAC circuit breaker is the switch marked HVAC/AC on your electrical panel. If you don’t see any markings on your electrical panel, ask a professional to help you locate the HVAC breaker.

Once you’ve reset your HVAC breaker, check if your Emerson thermostat is blowing hot air. If it isn’t, continue to the next step.

Ensure that Your HVAC Power Switch is Turned On

If your Emerson thermostat isn’t heating, your HVAC system might be turned off. Perhaps, you switched off the system to save power and forgot to turn it back on.

Locate your HVAC power switch and check if it is turned on. If the power switch is off, turn it back on.

Your Emerson thermostat should start blowing hot air now.

Check for Error Codes on Your HVAC System

An error in the HVAC system can prevent your heater from working. By extension, this means that your Emerson thermostat won’t be able to blow hot air.

Your HVAC system has an error light that blinks when the system detects an error. You’ll find this light inside your air handler or furnace.

If you see an error light flashing inside your furnace, you must fix the error to make your thermostat blow hot air. The meaning of each blinking light varies across different manufacturers. Consult your HVAC user manual to determine what the error light in the furnace means.

Make Sure Your Furnace Door is Properly Closed

Your furnace door contains a switch that turns off the HVAC system immediately after you open the door. So, if the furnace door is open or loosely closed, the HVAC won’t be able to blow hot air. This prevents your Emerson thermostat from heating your room.

If your Emerson thermostat isn’t heating, open your furnace door and position it properly. Then, shut the door tightly.

Your HVAC should turn on now, and the temperature in your room should start increasing.

But if the thermostat still isn’t heating, try the next tip.

Change Your Air Filter

Your Emerson thermostat may fail to heat because your HVAC air filter is clogged.

Your air filter purifies the air in your HVAC system before it is released into your room. After a few months, the debris extracted from the air in your HVAC will clog the air filter. A clogged air filter can’t let out air into your room — whether hot or cool.

To fix this issue, you’ll need to replace the clogged air filter with a new one.

Locate your HVAC air filter in your return air duct. The return air duct is the big metal crate on the wall or ceiling of your basement.

If the air filter looks dirty, remove it and exchange it for a new one. This should solve the heating problem on your Emerson thermostat.

However, if the heating issue persists after you’ve changed the air filter, continue to the next step.

Ensure Your Thermostat Has Enough Voltage

The Emerson thermostat requires a decent amount of voltage to perform its functions. Anything below 20VAC, and the thermostat may lose the ability to heat or recognize scheduled temperature changes.

Get a voltmeter and measure the number of volts in your Emerson thermostat. If the voltage in the thermostat is lower than 20VAC, you’ll need an electrician to fix the issue.

If you don’t know how to measure the voltage in your thermostat, hire a professional to do it. If the technician discovers that the voltage in your thermostat is too low, they’ll help you repair it immediately.

Make Sure Your Thermostat Was Installed Properly

Did you just install your Emerson thermostat? Then, it’s possible that the thermostat wasn’t installed correctly.

If your original thermostat had two sets of terminal labels, you might have inserted its wires into the wrong terminals.

 The type of HVAC system you use will determine the correct terminal label. Usually, the terminal label on the outside of the thermostat’s wiring panel is for Heat Pumps. In contrast, the labels on the inside of the panel are for Conventional HVAC systems.

You need to confirm the type of HVAC system you have and insert your thermostat wires accordingly.

Use the wiring diagram in your Emerson thermostat to guide you when re-installing your thermostat’s wires.

After installing your thermostat properly, turn on the device and set it to Heat. If the thermostat doesn’t heat, try the final tip.

Factory Reset Your Thermostat

If your Emerson thermostat doesn’t blow hot air after you’ve tried all the steps above, the thermostat might be dealing with a fatal issue. The solution to this problem is to factory reset your thermostat.

A factory reset will eliminate the data, settings, and problems on the thermostat, giving the device a fresh start.

To factory reset your Emerson thermostat, press the Up, Down, and Time buttons simultaneously.

Once the factory reset is complete, your Emerson thermostat should start heating.

Related: How to Fix an Emerson Thermostat that stops Working After Battery Replacement.  

Wrapping Up

If you apply the tips above correctly, your Emerson thermostat should resume heating. However, if the thermostat fails to blow air after you’ve tried all the recommended solutions, contact Emerson Customer Service for further assistance.