Air conditioners that are set up correctly and properly maintained don’t tend to have catastrophic problems very often. That’s why we advise homeowners so much to have their air conditioning systems set up with the help of a professional. Amateur service can start an air conditioner off badly, leading to a plethora of repair needs down the line—and one of those issues is sizing.
Air conditioners must be sized accordingly, and an air conditioner that is installed by an amateur has a less likely chance of being sized appropriately for your home. Homeowners that deal with an incorrectly sized air conditioner will run into a problem called short cycling, and that’s what our informative blog post is about today. What is short cycling? How does it develop? Will you really need an AC replacement in Winnetka, IL if you’re dealing with a short cycling system?
Keep reading and we’ll get to the bottom of all these questions.
What Is Short Cycling?
An air conditioner that is short cycling is suffering from a problem that can be pretty easy to notice. Air conditioners need to be sized appropriately for the home they are cooling. If your system is too small, then it will obviously run more cycles as it tries ineffectively to cool your whole home. This will use an immense amount of energy and stress your AC beyond the capabilities of what it is supposed to do.
However, we like to remind homeowners that bigger does not mean better when it comes to air conditioners. An air conditioner that is too large will fail to run a full cycle, cooling your home too early, and only stress certain components, hurting the system and its lifespan.
How Does Short Cycling Develop?
Your air conditioner needs to run a full cycle in order to run properly. Each and every component inside of it is built to help the cooling process in one way or another. Think about it like trying to drive your car while only using some of the parts under the hood, that would obviously stress the car out and cause it to break down right?
Your air conditioner simply needs to turn on, run a full cycle as it cools the amount of air within your home, and turn off after its job is done. If it is sized incorrectly, is dealing with a refrigerant leak, or some other issue is causing it to short cycle, then you’re going to cringe at the repair bills you’re about to receive.
What Can Be Done About Short Cycling?
There’s no simple solution to short cycling. In fact, a short cycling system needs to be checked on by a professional so they can tell you exactly what the problem is. The first way to mitigate short cycling is to have your system installed and maintained by a professional. The systems that are usually the victims of short cycling have been installed by amateurs.
Secondly, getting a replacement air conditioner that is the right size can often be a great comprehensive solution to short cycling. This will save you energy and money in the long run.
Call the team at Roberts Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc. for advice about your AC from the pros.