Preparing for Your Big Day

Posted on: 11 February 2019

Your furnace sees a significant amount of use throughout the winter months, or during all times of the year if you live in a cold climate. Constant use can lead to a number of mechanical malfunctions that can negatively affect how well your furnace is able to warm up your home. One of the most common malfunctions that your furnace can experience is short cycling, which refers to when your furnace chronically turns on and off within a short period of time. Understanding some of the most common reasons why your furnace may be short cycling can help you identify the problem quickly so that you can get your furnace functioning properly again as soon as possible.

Clogged Air Filter

By far the most common reason why your furnace may be short cycling is because the air filter in your unit is clogged with dust and other debris. A severely clogged air filter will prevent your furnace from being able to pull in enough air for your unit to function properly, causing the entire appliance to overheat and shut down as a result.

Fortunately, you can easily remove your air filter and match it to a similarly sized replacement at most hardware stores. As a general rule of thumb, you should check your air filter at least once every two months, and more often if your furnace sees a lot of use, to monitor how dirty it is.

Thermostat Placement or Malfunction

Another reason why your central furnace may be turning on and off constantly is because of a thermostat issue. This can be because of a wiring problem, in which your thermostat is not reading the temperature within your home properly or is unable to send that information to you furnace to tell it when to turn on and off, which will require the thermostat to be replaced.

Alternatively, your thermostat may be installed too close to a heating vent, which means that it experiences a significant temperature increase when your furnace is on, causing it to tell your furnace that the interior of your home is warm enough for it to turn off. However, without the heat from the vent, it will cool down and turn your furnace back on. In this case, you'll have to have a HVAC professional come in and move your thermostat to a new location.

Improper Furnace Sizing

Finally, the last and most serious reason why your furnace may be short cycling no matter what repairs or maintenance you complete is because the unit is simply too large for the size of your home. Furnaces that are too large will heat up your home too quickly, forcing the unit to only operate during short cycles because of their power. If this is the case, your furnace will experience excessive wear and waste a significant amount of energy—increasing repair bills and utility costs over time. If this is the case, you'll need to have a new, properly sized furnace installed to end the short cycling problem.

For more information, reach out to a local heating service.