Short cycling is a phenomenon that not a lot of people know about. It’s very important to the HVAC industry, and any professional worth their salt should know what a short cycling air conditioner is and the various different causes for it. But we don’t expect homeowners to know this kind of information right out of the gate, which is why we want to talk about it today.
When your air conditioner turns on and off abruptly, running through short, frequent cycles, it can be damaging to the internal components. If you’re suspecting that your AC is short cycling, then we urge you to call our team for air conditioning service in Gainesville, FL. We can evaluate the condition of the unit and figure out what exactly is causing the short cycling. Then we can take steps to alleviate the problem, from quick repairs to a system replacement if need be.
How Short Cycling Happens
Your air conditioner is designed to run in cycles. Each cycle, or cooling cycle, is the time it takes for refrigerant to absorb the heat in your home’s air, travel to the outside condenser unit, send the heat away from your property, and get back inside to do the same job again. This cooling cycle takes place from the start to the point where your room’s temperature meets the demand set on the thermostat. One cooling cycle should last about 15 minutes give or take, and your home should then be comfortable.
If your system runs for five or ten minutes and abruptly comes to a halt, then it’s likely short cycling which is a big problem for a number of reasons. Short cycling can cause extreme wear and tear on system components over time, and it will also cause your energy bills to spike upwards since the starting up of your system is the most energy-intensive part of the process.
Three Causes of Short Cycling
Here are three unique causes of short cycling in air conditioning systems.
- A refrigerant leak. When your air conditioner leaks refrigerant, it needs to run in shorter, faster cycles which will ultimately cause components to wear down or break completely. Eventually, your system might lose enough refrigerant to be unable to cool your home at all!
- A clogged air filter. Your air conditioner requires constant air flow in order to do its job properly. When the air filter gets clogged, it can have a hard time cooling your home and can overheat, leading to short, abrupt cycles.
- The system is too large for your home. When an air conditioner is too large for a space, it’s going to cool it down too quickly. It’s going to then run into a wall where it’s forced to shut down quickly, even if it’s not ready to. This can wear down a unit so much that it requires replacement.
Call Our Team for Help!
Short cycling doesn’t have to plague your home for very long when you’ve got a team of experts on the case.
Contact North Central Florida Air Conditioning to have your short cycling air conditioner fixed or replaced!
