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Summer sometimes comes with unbearably high temperatures. And when it gets too hot, you want your ac to cool your home.
When your Honeywell thermostat won’t go below 68 degrees, this could be because it has a lower temperature limiter enabled.
When your ac is not cooling enough as you want it to, high temperatures will not only leave you and your family uncomfortable but can also give you a headache.
Why Your Honeywell Thermostat Won’t Go Below 68
Apart from the temperature limiter, a few other things could prevent your thermostat from going below a temperature point. Let’s look at the main things that can prevent your Honeywell from cooling down to your set point.
Read also: AC Won’t Cool Below 75 Degrees
Honeywell Temperature Limiter
If your thermostat cannot go below 68 degrees or any other temperature point, this could result from a temperature limiter that has been activated on your thermostat.
If you rent a house or apartment, your landlord might have enabled a temperature limiter on your thermostat. And if you are a homeowner, either your installer or previous owner might have set up a limiter, but don’t worry; shortly, I’ll be looking at how to bypass a Honeywell temperature limiter.
What is a thermostat temperature limiter?
A thermostat temperature limiter is a temperature-locking feature found in Honeywell or other thermostat brands to lock temperatures from going below the recommended temperature. It also prevents your thermostat from going above the recommended temperature.
A temperature limiter helps prevent your system from overheating and your ac coils from freezing. Overheating and freezing of your coils can result in costly repairs. So, you must be cautious when removing the temperature limiter from your thermostat.
If you want to lower your thermostat below 68 degrees, here is a method you can use to deactivate the temperature limiter.
Also read: Heat Pump Not Cooling Below 80 Degrees [Solved]
How to bypass the Honeywell thermostat temperature limiter
You can use a few steps to bypass a thermostat temperature limiter. This is just one of them. If you are using a Honeywell Pro series, follow these steps:
- Press the fan button and the up button at the same time
- When a menu pops up, press the next button until you see the ‘Set’ upper limit temperature on the right side of the screen.
- To adjust the upper limit limiter, adjust the temperature accordingly using the up and the down button
- Press next to remove the lower limit, and your set lower limit should display. In this case, you should see 68. Adjust this using the up and down buttons.
- When you set your desired minimum and maximum temperature points, press done, and that’s it.
Clogged Air Filters
Filters collect dust and other unwanted particles for your ac to work correctly. Over time filters can become too dirty and eventually get clogged. This could restrict airflow to the coil and create problems with your indoor temperature below 68 degrees.
When you notice that your Honeywell won’t reach your set temperature, you might want to check the status of your air filter. Check whether your filters are dirty or not. If your filters are dirty, wash them or change them (if you are using disposable ones).
If you are wondering where your ac filters are located on your HVAC system, you can find filters at the return vents near the center of your home or at the furnace or air handler.
How to change AC filters
- After you locate the filter, pull it out gently. Note that some systems can have two filters, one at the furnace and another at the return vent.
- Put your filter against the light and check whether you can’t see light through. If you can’t see light, your filter is dirty, and you’ll need to replace it.
- Take note of the size of your filter before buying another one.
- When putting a new filter, put it in the correct direction. See the arrow on the filter to allow proper circulation of air.
Outdoor Temperature is Just Too High
Another thing that could prevent your thermostat from cooling below your set point is the outdoor temperature which is way too high.
Air conditioners are designed to cool your home by 20 degrees from the outdoor temperature. So, if the outdoor temperature is 88 degrees hot or more, then you can expect your indoor air to cool down to only about 68. There is nothing much you can do when your outdoor temperature is too high, but you can try the following.
- Closing outside doors and windows
- Turning off heat-producing appliances when your ac is on. If possible, go and grill from outside instead of turning on your indoor stove or oven.
Final Thought
Now that you know why your Honeywell thermostat won’t go below 68 degrees, I hope you have already found a solution to your problem. Thanks for reading.
HVAC tech with over 30 years of experience. Retired and doing repair work on the side around Madison County, AL.