Not only is short-cycling a problem that can be troubling for your air conditioning and your comfort, but it also could be the reason for an early replacement. Short-cycling is an insidious problem that not enough homeowners know about, and those that do are convinced that they need a professional on-hand to fix it when it happens.
It doesn’t matter if you’re an industry veteran who is a master of detecting a short-cycling AC, or if you’ve never heard that term before but you’re intrigued, we’ve got you covered. This is going to be a guide that will help homeowners learn about the intricacies of short-cycling—what it means, what causes it, and why you should always get it fixed. Then you can always call us for more information on AC repair in Sanford, FL.
How It Works: Short-Cycling
An air conditioner functions in what we call a “cycle.” It turns on, cools the air in your home to a specific temperature, makes sure that all the air in your home feels that way, and then turns off. This cycle allows for all the relevant components of your AC system to run at the speeds and efficiency settings they’re designed to, like running a well-oiled car on a highway.
The moment something interrupts that cycle, or causes it to run too long or too short, you start encountering problems. The term “short-cycling” is one we use to describe an AC that’s running in short, frequent bursts. This can happen for the following reasons:
- Refrigerant leak. An air conditioner depends on refrigerant to be able to cool your home. With a low amount of refrigerant, or leaking refrigerant, the system will run more often in short bursts in order to compensate.
- Incorrectly sized system. When an air conditioner is sized too large for the space its installed in, it will run in a brief cycle before shutting down. This is because the system cools your home too quickly and certain components will get stressed out, causing an imbalance in wear and tear. Some parts of your air conditioner might be good as new while others are bending towards an early replacement.
- Clogged air filter. If your air filter gets clogged, then your system will start to lose efficiency. It will struggle to take in fresh air and could start shutting down abruptly while performing short cycles.
- It’s overheating. An overheating air conditioner will flip the safety control and abruptly shut down, regardless of how long it should run.
Replacement or Repair
If your air conditioner is suffering from a refrigerant leak or a clogged air filter, then there’s an affordable solution on the horizon. Change out the filter and call us for repairs, we can get to the bottom of the issue quickly.
Otherwise, if you’re dealing with a botched installation or an overheating air conditioner that’s run its course, you might need to replace the unit entirely. Don’t worry, we can do that as well!