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Polar Bear Air Conditioning & Heating Inc. Blog

Why Is My Air Conditioner Short-Cycling?

When you start up your air conditioning system in the summer season in order to keep your home cool and comfortable, you want to do so without any hiccups. The problem, though, is that there is no such thing as a 100% reliable air conditioning system. Even investing in quality equipment, having that equipment expertly installed, and scheduling routine air conditioning maintenance is not enough to guarantee that your system functions precisely as it ought to at all times. When you do encounter problems with your AC, be sure to schedule prompt air conditioning repairs in Capitol Hill. One such problem that you may run into is short-cycling, and it can make cooling your effectively all but impossible. 

What Is Short-Cycling, And Why Does It Happen?

Short-cycling is a situation in which your air conditioner starts up when temperatures reach a certain level, but then shuts back down prematurely. This wastes a lot of energy, as your air conditioner needs more power to start up over and over again than to run through a full cooling cycle. It also puts a lot of unnecessary wear and tear on your system, which can lead to excessive and avoidable repair needs. So why does your system short-cycle? There are a few potential causes of the problem.

If you’ve always had a short-cycling air conditioner, it is possible that your system is just not of the right size for your home. It may actually be cooling your living space down too quickly, and there is no way in which to repair the system to resolve this problem. You’ll have to replace the AC with an appropriately sized model. If the short-cycling is a relatively new development, though, it may be the result of a failing run capacitor, which is the device that helps your system to maintain the current that it needs to keep running throughout its cycle. You could even simply have a faulty thermostat, which is sending inaccurate information back to the system and causing it to shut down prematurely.

Whatever the issue is, be sure to schedule your AC services with the professional technicians here at Polar Bear Air Conditioning & Heating Inc.

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