What Furnace Short Cycling Is, And Why You Need to Be Careful of It

Is your furnace turning on and off every couple of minutes? If so, you have a problem. That behavior is called short cycling, and it has the potential to cause all kinds of nasty problems for your furnace if it isn’t dealt with as soon as possible. Read on to find out more about why short cycling happens, what it can do to your furnace, and what you can do about it.

Causes of Short Cycling

Short cycling is usually caused by an electrical issue between the thermostat and the furnace, although not always. It can also be caused by heat becoming trapped in the furnace, either from the air handler failing or the filter becoming clogged. As the temperature in the furnace rises, the limit switch shuts the system down to protect the furnace from becoming damaged. Unless the root problem is solved, however, the furnace will just overheat and shut down again when it turns back on.

Effects of Short Cycling

Short cycling is such a problem because it accelerates the rate at which the furnace wears down. If the system is allowed to short cycle for an extended period of time, it will become more and more likely to develop problems of various kinds. It will also shorten the lifespan of the system by a number of years. For those reasons, it’s a good idea to call for repairs as soon as you notice your furnace short cycling. The faster you can get it repaired, the more damage to the system you can prevent.

If your furnace is short cycling, or is in any other way in need of repairs, contact us today to schedule an appointment with one of our technicians for heating repair. We’ll make sure that your system is restored to proper shape.

Sunset Air offers a full range of furnace repair services throughout Tacoma, WA.