Your heat pump should cool your home in Perdido, FL, in a cycle of 10 to 15 minutes, and these cycles should number no more than three per hour. If the cycles get shorter or more frequent than that, your system may be malfunctioning. Below are four possible reasons why your heat pump is short-cycling.
A Dirty Air Filter
Homeowners should take care to replace their air filter on a recurring basis: every 90 days, normally, for pleated air filters. Clogged filters constrict the flow of air, put pressure on the motor and cause the heat pump to overheat. This leads to premature shutting down, hence short-cycling.
Thermostat Issues
Your thermostat may have lost its calibration and so may be reading your indoor temperature as lower than it is. That would cause the heat pump to shut down before cooling your home to the desired temperature. Also consider the placement of your thermostat; if it’s too close to a vent or a heat source, it won’t give you an accurate temperature reading.
A Refrigerant Leak
In cooling mode, your heat pump uses refrigerant to draw heat from your home and release it outside. If the refrigerant lines leak, though, your home stays hot, and the heat pump will overheat: a common cause of short-cycling.
An Oversized Unit
Worst of all, maybe the company that handled your AC installation installed a heat pump that’s too big for your home. Bigger doesn’t mean better; oversized heat pumps, by heating and cooling too quickly, never leave you comfortable or run efficiently.
Over 40 Years of Experience
You can prevent short-cycling with maintenance, so call Lunsford Air Conditioning & Heating today for a tune-up here in Perdido. If the situation calls for a major repair, our NATE-certified technicians will expertly handle it, using only genuine factory replacement parts.
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