What Is Short Cycling, And What Are Its Causes? Do I Need AC Repair To Fix It? | Lewisville, TX
Summers in Lewisville, TX, can be humid and hot. For this reason, most homeowners prefer to have a reliable AC unit in their homes. An air conditioning unit ensures that your home has quality indoor air, cool and comfortable, providing relief during those long summer days. Unfortunately, like most electrical equipment and appliances, the air conditioning unit also tends to break down, leaving your home uncomfortable for your family.
Short cycling is one of the air conditioning unit issues some homeowners experience. Like many other factors, including aging, short cycling can result in several problems for your air conditioner and affect your family’s comfort. This is among the many reasons why homeowners are advised to retain the services of a reliable AC repair company for routine checkups and maintenance of their AC units. This way, the professionals can catch any developing issues early enough and take the necessary measures to fix them. Doing this ensures that the unit is efficiently functioning to cool your home and might extend its service life.
But what is short cycling? What causes this effect in an air conditioner? This post will learn all about short cycling and why it might arise to help you take the necessary preventative measures.
What Is Air Conditioner Short Cycling?
This effect arises when an air conditioner begins a cooling cycle, then prematurely shuts down, only to start back up later after a short time. It is the situation in which the air conditioner shuts off and on too rapidly without completing a cycle fully. Is your air conditioning unit short cycling? Then you should have an AC repair technician come over for a further inspection as soon as you possibly can. This is because short cycling might result in the premature replacement of your air conditioning unit or even expensive repairs. Based on the technician’s assessment, the issue might be minor as a clogged AC filter that requires a replacement or other complex issues that we’ll explain later.
Whenever the air conditioning unit is short cycling, it uses more energy resources than it normally consumes. This could lead to higher energy utility bills at the end of the month. Further, it exposes your air conditioning unit to wear and tear, especially on the compressor. If the compressor is used up, then it results in your air conditioning unit overheating. Eventually, the AC burns out. Unfortunately, replacing a compressor is expensive. It might even make purchasing an energy-efficient AC unit more economical and beneficial to your family’s comfort.
What Causes Short Cycling?
Dirty Air Filters
Did you know that something as simple as a clogged or dirty HVAC air filter could take a toll on your entire unit? Dirty or clogged air filters can short cycle the air conditioning unit. This makes the AC unit freeze up whenever there is restricted airflow. This further restricts the airflow and might even damage the system. Whenever you notice short cycling, you should have an AC repair technician inspect the AC unit.
When they diagnose the cause of the issue, like a clogged AC filter, the technician might replace it or even clean it to ensure that the airflow isn’t restricted. Ideally, the air filters need a monthly replacement, though this also depends on several factors. To get the right AC filter replacement interval, ensure that you check the owner’s manual.
The Size of the Air Conditioner
Is your air conditioner right for your home? A too large or small air conditioning unit can cause issues such as short cycling. For instance, it is too powerful if the air conditioner is oversized. This means it can cool your home too quickly and turn off and on again, resulting in premature damage, short cycling, and higher energy utility bills.
On the other hand, if the air conditioning unit is undersized, it will struggle to cool your Lewisville, TX home, resulting in high energy utility bills and excessive stress on your AC unit. Hence, you should always consult an AC repair professional whenever planning to purchase a system. Otherwise, if the AC system is incorrectly sized, you do not have any other option than to replace it.
Frozen Evaporator Coils
Air conditioning system short cycling can also be caused by ice buildup on your unit’s evaporator coils. Airflow issues and refrigerant problems cause this particular issue. The evaporator coils play a critical role in your AC system in removing heat from your indoor air. Whenever they are restricted, the refrigerant within the coils could cool down, resulting in Ice formation and consequently short cycling.
You could melt the ice on the evaporator coils by shutting it off. However, calling an AC repair technician is the better option. The professional will safely thaw the evaporator coils and inspect them for the many causes of the ice buildup, including refrigerant leaks. When the air conditioning repair technician diagnoses the issue, they will professionally fix it to ensure that your home gets a constant supply of cool air.
Low Refrigerant Levels
Whenever the coolant levels in an AC unit drop due to a refrigerant leak, the system cannot efficiently absorb and transfer your home’s heat. This could make the compressor overheat, resulting in short cycling. Without specialized tools, detecting refrigerant leaks is near impossible. However, a professional AC repair professional has the experience and tools to detect and fix the leakage and ensure that your home remains comfortable.
Thermostat Issues
Thermostat issues and placement in your home could also result in a short-cycling AC unit. For instance, if your thermostat is installed in direct sunlight or near some heat-generating appliances, it could sense the wrong temperatures. This could communicate incorrect temperature settings to the AC unit, resulting in frequent short cycles when turning the heat-generating appliance on or off. Hence, you should have an AC repair specialist install the thermostat in an ideal place, preferably in the inner walls of your living space, not in the kitchen.
Where to Go for Professional Air Conditioning Repair
Is your AC experiencing short cycling? Then you should have it inspected by a licensed AC repair technician for the cause and have it fixed. If you need AC repair services near Lewisville, TX, One Hour Air Conditioning & Heating of Dallas has your back. Call us to have your AC inspected for any issues and repaired. We also offer great maintenance packages to ensure that we catch the issues before they worsen.