If you have a hot water heating system that forces warm water through the vents to warm your house, then you may be surprised when some of these water pipes stop delivering hot water. If you notice this problem in your home and it only seems to happen in one space or heating zone, then keep reading to learn how to troubleshoot the issue using your thermostat. 

Check The Thermostat

Heating zones in the home are controlled by your thermostat and the zone valve that is connected to the thermostat. The thermostat will send a signal to your furnace that it must turn on, and a message also travels to the zone valve to open it up and let hot water through. If the thermostat is not working, then it will not send a signal to either the furnace or the zone valve. 

However, sometimes messages will be sent through the wiring, but the zone valve will stick and be unable to open up properly. To see if this is the case, set all of the other thermostats in your house to off. Go to the heating zone that is not receiving heat, and turn your thermostat up several degrees. Wait to see if the furnace turns on. If it does and you also hear a slight clicking noise, then the zone valve is likely broken or simply stuck. Contact your local HVAC professional to install a new one or do it yourself. Just follow the thermostat wiring to find the correct valve or look for a label on the zone valves near your furnace. 

Check The Wiring

There is a chance that your thermostat has simply broken and you need a new one. You can test this by touching the thermostat wires together. This completes an electrical circuit and sends the message to the furnace to turn on. Remove the screws from inside the thermostat that keep the wires in place. Pull the wires away from the screws and touch them to one another. If the furnace clicks on, then your thermostat is broken. Purchase a new one and use the wires already in place to connect it to the zone valve. 

If the wires do not turn the furnace on, then try changing the wires and connecting the new ones to your thermostat. If this still does not work, then it is possible that the zone valve motor is broken or not relaying messages properly to your furnace. Try replacing the wiring that runs from the furnace to the zone valve and try increasing the temperature on the thermostat again. The zone valve may also need to be replaced. If you are unsure about the problem or why your heat is not working correctly, then contact a company like Winters Heating Cooling for help.