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The Dangers of Short-Cycling

air-conditioning-unit

Air conditioners have a problem that we see on a consistent basis. Regardless of whether or not you’ve heard about the term “short-cycling,” we need to talk about what it means and what it could end up costing you. This is a problem that we see plague homeowners and their respective air conditioners because of just how catastrophic the effects can be.

We’re going to talk about what short-cycling is, how it can affect you, and why it so often means that you need professional AC replacement in Malvern, PA. We know that it can be scary to read about something that can be so expensive to fix, but we promise that the earlier you find out if your air conditioner is short-cycling, the better!

Read on and remember to always contact us if you start struggling with an air conditioning problem. We can help!

What Is Short-Cycling?

Short-cycling, as you can probably guess from the name, is when an air conditioner turns on, runs for a short while, turns off, and then repeats the process over and over again. This isn’t to be confused with a regular cooling cycle, however, because short-cycling happens in short bursts that are less than the 15-minute average cooling span.

Short-cycling is often what happens when there’s something wrong since an air conditioner seems to be shutting off too early. This can be catastrophic because shutting down before a full cooling cycle has been completed means unnecessary stress on specific components of the system that are more heavily relied on than normal.

What’s Wrong?

Now that we know that air conditioner short-cycling is bad, we need to talk about what’s happening. Short-cycling can be caused for a number of different reasons, each of which requires its own specific path of repair or replacement.

One reason for short-cycling is a leak in the refrigerant lines of the system. Since air conditioners run using refrigerant as the main source of heat removal, less refrigerant means the system is going to consume more energy and short-cycle frequently.

Another main reason for short-cycling is a faulty installation. Air conditioners need to be sized appropriately for the home they’re being set up for. If your air conditioner was sized too small, it’ll practically never stop running and you’ll be stuck dealing with a home that’s either too warm or with energy bills through the roof. An air conditioner that’s too large, however, will cool your home too quickly, causing the system to shut down without completing the full cooling cycle.

Either way, these are not good problems to be dealing with!

What to Do

For starters, call our team. A professional is going to have to take a look at your system to understand exactly why it’s short-cycling. Then, through either targeted repairs or a system replacement, will you be able to feel comprehensive cooling again that’s not costing you an arm and a leg. Have this problem treated to avoid long-term headaches.

Call the team at Michall Daimion Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc. for a comprehensive air conditioning approach.

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