Your air conditioner is probably short-cycling if it turns on and off without your intervention. It’s not rare, so professionals have developed techniques to fix it. Your AC gets short cycling when the cooling cycle is faster than the automatic set of 10 minutes.
A short cycling air conditioner can cause a lot of inconvenience and discomfort. However, once you understand what it is, it’s easy to follow up on how to fix a short cycling air conditioner. Do it yourself or involve the services of an expert if you must.
It’s essential first to find out why your air conditioner is short-cycling in the first place. This article will show you how to fix short-cycling air conditioners and what causes them.
What Causes Air Conditioner Short Cycling?
Finding out how to fix short cycling AC is finding out what initially caused it. Approach the problem with an informed guess of what could be wrong so that you know what to check on. Here are a few examples of some of the factors that could be causing your AC to short cycle.
The Air Conditioner Could Be the Incorrect Size
Your air conditioner is not likely to perform better because it’s big. Usually, experts recommend matching the size of your AC with the cooling needs of your space when purchasing one. If you get an air conditioner that is too big for your room, it achieves the desired cooling result too fast.
The result is that the AC will shut down shortly after you have switched it on. It’s not enough time to dehumidify the air in your space. The unit consumes more energy than necessary while delivering the wrong result.
Clogged Filters
The role of filters in AC is to remove airborne pollutants. Filters are an essential part of AC that you won’t notice until they fail to work correctly. Their absence would compromise the quality of air in your home. In addition, dirt particles may accumulate and block the filter preventing air from going through.
That’s when your AC starts working harder. Parts like the blower and compressor get stressed and cause other parts of the air conditioner to overheat. It triggers short cycling since the system cannot sustain the strain. S
Mechanical Issues in The Air Conditioner
A failing compressor is one of the most common mechanical problems that cause short cycling. Usually, short cycling happens because of a failing compressor because the compressor can’t stay on long.
Short cycling does more damage to a compressor that is already failing. You might have to replace the compressor to stop short cycling. It helps to know about the manufacturer’s warranty for such a replacement. Ensure only a professional does it.
Frozen Evaporator Coils
Frozen evaporator coils fail to remove latent heat from your space leading the AC to overheat. The result is short cycling. If your unit has frozen evaporator coils, it could mean that you are behind on maintenance. Also, consider cleaning your evaporator coils frequently.
Incorrect Thermostat Calibration
Miscalibrations will cause the thermostat to gauge temperature incorrectly, resulting in short cycling. As a result, your unit will start to turn on and off unexpectedly to achieve the temperature you want it to succeed.
The therapist miscommunicates with the unit about the temperatures in your space. As a result, miscalibrations in the thermostat cause the unit to work harder than it should. You will notice this problem when it’s too late, so check on that function frequently.
The Refrigerant Needs Refilling
Low refrigerant levels may cause your AC to short cycle. The correct refrigerant level is essential to ensure heat leaves your home. You shouldn’t attempt to refill the refrigerant yourself. Involving an expert would let you know what caused the refrigerant to reduce.
Incorrect refrigerant levels make the unit work harder, leading to short cycling and overheating. Overheating can also cause irreparable damage to your unit.
Fixing Short Cycling in an Air Conditioner
It’s easy to come up with a solution to fix a short cycling AC once you know what is causing it in the first place. Keep reading to learn how you can fix a short cycling AC.
Clean or replace clogged filters: When looking to replace or clean the filters, the first thing is to cut off the direct power supply to the unit. Next, retrieve the old filters and replace them with new ones or clean ones. It’s best to replace it with the kind of filters recommended by an expert.
Check the coils: Another thing you can do to remedy the situation is to defrost the coils. Allow the defrosting process to happen while the system is still off.
Get a smaller unit. The expert you call into your home might also recommend getting a smaller AC unit fit for your space.
Call a professional: If doing these two things fail to resolve the issue, your final alternative is to call in an air conditioning professional. Your unit might need a refill for the refrigerant, which only an expert should do.
Also, an expert can take the opportunity to examine the unit. For example, it might have components that require repairs to fix short cycling.
What Happens If You Fail to Fix Short Cycling in An Air Conditioner?
Failing to fix short cycling issues in your air conditioner will have you looking at inconveniences and problems that affect your comfort in the long run. Fix it so that you don’t have to deal with
Increased energy bills as your unit use more energy to accomplish the required results. Varying temperature zones in your home, with some being water than othersQuick wear and tears of the unit
Final Words
Instead of waiting to find out how to fix short cycling in an air conditioner, consider frequently scheduling maintenance for your unit. Then, find the cause of short cycling in your AC to help devise a practical course of action. Don’t hesitate to call for help from an AC expert if you have to. It’s best to fix issues like short cycling in your AC before the weather gets too harsh.
