Short-cycling is a condition that occurs when an air conditioner’s compressor turns on and off rapidly, never completing a full cooling cycling. Short-cycling is extremely damaging for an air conditioner, and it affects comfort in a home and raises energy bills. Because the AC uses a large amount of power to turn on each time, short-cycling places enormous stress on the components and will cause electrical costs to skyrocket. And since the AC will not stay on long enough to distribute sufficient cool air through a house, short-cycling will create hot spots in rooms and general discomfort.
If you notice your air conditioner is short-cycling, call on the professionals at Kool Breeze right away. We offer 24-hour emergency AC repair service for Fort Walton Beach, FL and throughout Northwest Florida.
There are a number of reasons that an air conditioner may start to short-cycle. Here are 3 of the more common ones:
ONE: Clogged air filter
The air filter that prevents debris from getting inside the air conditioner’s cabinet through the return vents needs to be changed/cleaned once a month during times when the AC runs regularly. If it becomes clogged, not enough air will enter the AC and it will start to shut off early, only to turn back on again a short time later.
TWO: Malfunctioning thermostat
If the thermostat in your home is incorrectly reading the temperatures, it will affect the AC and cause it to behave erratically, turning on and off at inappropriate times. It only requires a small miscalibration in the AC to cause short-cycling to occur.
THREE: Improperly sized air conditioner
Was your air conditioner installed recently? Then the short-cycling may be a signs that the system is too large for the space it is supposed to cool. It is lowering temperatures in the house so quickly that it is shutting off before it should. Unfortunately, the most common solution to an oversized AC is to have the whole system replaced with a smaller one. To avoid this potentially expensive “repair,” make sure that you only hire experienced technicians to handle your air conditioning installation.