It’s the middle of summer and even with the luxury of our relatively cool mountain climate, the air conditioning is working overtime in our Glenwood Springs, Aspen, and Vail, CO homes and businesses. Within reason it’s normal to hear the A/C running for long periods of time. Your friends at Climate Control Company are more concerned about an air conditioner that seems to turn itself on and off repeatedly.
Identifying the Problem
Typically, your air conditioner will run about 15 minutes during each cooling cycle. If your AC’s cooling cycle is significantly shorter, to the point where it’s turning on and off every minute or two, then there’s a problem. In the HVAC business we call it short cycling.
You Need to Take it Seriously
It’s not something to mess around with. There are a number of reasons why short cycling is bad:
- It means you’re using more electricity leading to higher monthly bills.
- When the air conditioner is short cycling it’s not able to properly remove humidity from the air making your home uncomfortable.
- If the cause isn’t found and corrected, short cycling can result in serious damage and expensive repairs.
Common Causes
In most cases only an HVAC technician can find out what is causing the short cycling. Some common causes include:
- Overheating—This can often be caused by a buildup of dirt and grime on the evaporator and condenser coils or a refrigerant leak. Modern air conditioners are equipped with safety devices to shut them down when overheating happens.
- Thermostat problems—The wiring may have been damaged on your thermostat or it could be as simple as incorrect settings. A poorly chosen thermostat location can also cause an AC unit to short cycle.
- Lack of annual maintenance—This can cause several problems for your air conditioner. Any one of them, or a combination of issues, can lead to short cycling. Climate Control offers maintenance plans to make sure this isn’t an issue.
Don’t Wait
If you are experiencing short cycling or any other problems with the air conditioning in your Glenwood Springs, Aspen, or Vail, CO home or business, don’t procrastinate. Call Climate Control Company to schedule a visit from one of our highly trained technicians. For more great information like this be sure to like and follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
