While snowstorms hit our friends up north, we’ll still be struggling with heat and humidity down here. People often say that a dog is man’s best friend, but we’d happily replace that with an air conditioner since an air conditioner can make a hot and humid day bearable.
However, if you’re constantly dealing with a malfunctioning air conditioner, it’s incredibly important to understand the signs of a system that’s on its last legs. One of these signs is short-cycling, which is a process where an air conditioner can’t complete a full cycle and starts causing problems for certain interior components. This can be a life-ending problem for an air conditioner since thorough cycling is incredibly important both to efficiency and correctly cooling air. Let’s see if short-cycling is something you’re dealing with and whether AC repair in Melbourne Beach, FL can solve it.
The Causes of Short-Cycling
Short-cycling can be caused by a multitude of problems from your air conditioner. However, none of these problems are very good to have, which is why it’s incredibly important to know when your system is short-cycling in the first place.
If you hear your system turn on and off rapidly, or function for an extraordinarily long time without shutting off, you might be dealing with a short-cycling air conditioner. We recommend turning off your air conditioning and contacting a technician as soon as possible to give it an inspection.
Low Refrigerant Level
Your air conditioner requires a steady amount of refrigerant to perform the cooling process. It does not consume this refrigerant, no matter what anyone tells you. That means if your system has a refrigerant leak, it’s going to start short-cycling to compensate. This could waste a lot of energy, money, and likely lead to a premature breakdown if the refrigerant isn’t recharged and the leak sealed.
Incorrectly Sized Air Conditioner
An air conditioner needs to be sized up for the home it’s going to cool. An AC that’s too small for the volume of air in a home will have trouble cooling it off and will short-cycle. Also, an air conditioner that’s too large will also have trouble running a full cycle, since the output of cool air is too much to perform the entirety of its process. This puts unnecessary strain on specific components in the system and can lead to an early breakdown.
If your air conditioner was installed by an amateur and not sized up, chances are it could be the wrong size and might require a replacement.
Clogged Air Filter
A dirty air filter can impede airflow into the air conditioner. This means your system is trying harder to do the same job it was doing just a few months ago. If you’re hearing the air conditioner short-cycle and you can’t remember the last time you changed the air filter, the AC could need some fresh air that is being stifled.
Either way, a short-cycling air conditioner is always a bad thing, and you should contact a professional to take a look, regardless of what you think the problem might be.
Why not give us a call at Complete Air & Heat, Inc.? Making families happy on the Space Coast since 1975.