Too often, homeowners fail to report problems with their air conditioning systems early on. Sometimes this is due to the fact that they think the issue at hand is just “no big deal”. Other times, they figure that they’ll just wait for a system to break down before addressing the problem, which you should never do. In many instances, however, homeowners simply fail to realize that something is wrong. This is especially common when dealing with irregular cooling cycles.
As long as the air conditioner is starting up and is blowing out cool air, some people just assume that the system is doing fine. This really is not the case, though. Short cycling is something that affects many air conditioners, for many reasons, and it can cause many problems. The fact that an air conditioner is running doesn’t mean that it’s running right. Fortunately, you can always count on us for quality air conditioning repair in Fresno, CA.
What Is Short Cycling
Air conditioners are supposed to run in full, even cooling cycles. If yours is not, and is instead running in short bursts, then it means that your system is “short cycling”. Basically, your AC is just starting up and shutting back down too frequently. It may not sound like that big of a problem, but it can actually result in some pretty serious issues.
What Causes Short Cycling?
A lot of different factors, of varying seriousness, can result in short cycling. The most basic issue to resolve is a very dirty air filter. If your air filter is too dirty, then the AC can actually start to overheat due to the excess strain put on it. Then, it will shut itself down in an act of self-preservation. If this is the case, then simply changing out the air filter is enough to resolve the problem.
However, it could also be the result of a failing component, such as your thermostat or your AC’s run capacitor. If the filter is not obviously dirty, you’ll want to call a professional to have these components tested. We can determine what the precise cause of the problem is, and can typically resolve it with relative ease.
Unfortunately, you could also have a refrigerant leak causing the system to overwork itself as it tries to cool your home. If this is the case, then you need to have the leak detected, patched up, and the refrigerant recharged ASAP. You can do very serious damage to an AC by continuing to run it on a low refrigerant charge.
The final potential issue is an oversized system. Now, bigger is not better in the case of an AC. Or at least, not overly big. If the system is too large, it can actually cool your home too quickly, disrupting the cooling cycle and leading to short cycling and the excessive wear and tear and drop in efficiency that follow.
If your air conditioner is short cycling, schedule service with Donald P. Dick Air Conditioning. We strive to provide honest answers and solutions to the problems our customers experience while remaining highly competitive in price, and offer the fastest turnaround you can find!