Is your air conditioner turning itself on and off every few minutes? If so, you have a problem. That kind of behavior is called “short-cycling,” and it’s very damaging to the system. Short-cycling locks the air conditioner into its startup sequence, which is the most stressful part of the system’s operation. Constantly turning itself on and off causes increased wear and tear on the air conditioner, and makes it much more likely that a breakdown will occur. Read on to find out what causes short-cycling, and how you can prevent it from happening.
Thermostat Issues
The thermostat is the most important part of any HVAC system. Without a functioning thermostat, the air conditioner will not even be able to turn on. So when the thermostat develops problems, they tend to affect the air conditioner as well. There are a couple of different thermostat problems that can result in the air conditioner short-cycling. A bad sensor affects the thermostat’s ability to read the temperature in the room. This can cause the thermostat to activate or shut down the air conditioner by mistake. The thermostat can also have a short circuit between it and the air conditioner. This can cause the air conditioner to start up or turn off irregularly.
Damaged Compressor
The compressor is a part of an AC that circulates refrigerant gas from the inside unit to the outside unit. It is designed to only handle gas, which means that if liquid refrigerant makes it into the part it can cause problems. A damaged compressor can throw off the rhythm of the entire system, which can cause the air conditioning system to short cycle in some instances.
If your air conditioner is short-cycling, call Roadrunner Air Conditioning, Heating & Refrigeration. We provide air conditioning repair services throughout Santa Fe, NM.
