Chances are that you’ve run your furnace a bit already this year, if only to take the chill out of the air at night. Even if you’ve been resistant to using your heater and have instead opted to throw an extra comforter on the bed for the time being, you may have started up the furnace just to test it out. Whatever the case, if your furnace seemed to be running in short bursts, then you’ve probably got a problem on your hands.
The phenomenon of a furnace starting up, running briefly, and then shutting back down is known as short cycling. Short cycling can negatively affect your comfort and your heating system itself in a number of ways. If you notice this, or any other problem with your furnace in Bolingbrook, IL, contact a member of our team to have it resolved.
Why Short Cycling Is a Problem
When your heater starts up, it uses more energy than it does when it runs. This is true of most mechanical systems. That means that a furnace that is starting up, shutting down, and starting up again over and over is just not going to operate efficiently. It also puts a lot of wear and tear on your home heating system, and may result in subpar heating results in many cases. We believe that you deserve better than to be paying more money for less comfort, while compromising the integrity of your system in the process. That is why you must address short cycling promptly.
What Causes Short Cycling?
Like most heating system problems, short cycling can be the result of a few different issues. Perhaps your air filter is dirty, and is restricting airflow in the system too much. That’s a pretty simple fix. You may also have trouble with a malfunctioning thermostat or flame sensor, though. These are safety devices that shut the system down in order to prevent dangerous situations, and if they aren’t working right then your system may not run reliably. It is also possible that your furnace is just too big for your home, heating it too swiftly, and this requires the replacement of the system with an appropriately sized model.
Contact DuAll Heating & Cooling for any heating services that you may need.
