The sweltering summers in Carrollton, GA, mean you’ll rely on your air conditioning system for relief. If you notice that your air conditioner runs for several minutes, turns off, and turns on again a minute later, this is short-cycling. Read on to learn about the potential issues this may cause.
Poor Humidity Control
Air conditioners don’t just cool your home’s air. They also remove moisture. Short-cycling leads to inadequate humidity control. As the humidity level in your home increases, you won’t feel as comfortable. If the indoor humidity level exceeds 50%, you could experience an increase in allergy or asthma symptoms. That’s because the excess moisture fuels the growth of biological contaminants that trigger respiratory problems. Excessive humidity also causes problems for the air conditioner’s air filter, drain pan, and condensate line. These parts may become obstructed faster than normal. A clogged filter or condensate line decreases air conditioner efficiency and may trigger the system’s safety switch to power the whole unit down.
Shorter Air Conditioner Lifespan
According to Energy Star, oversized air conditioners that perform many short cycles typically have a shorter lifespan than right-sized air conditioners. A typical air conditioning system’s lifespan is about 15 years. Short-cycling causes critical components, such as the capacitor and motor, to wear out many years before this. The extra wear and tear on these parts also lead to high maintenance and repair bills over the cooling system’s lifespan.
Excessive Electricity Bills
A right-sized air conditioner that performs the right number of cooling cycles costs less to operate. When you’ve got a short-cycling air conditioning system, your electricity bills could go up by 13% or more. That’s because the startup of each cooling cycle uses the most energy. If you’ve noticed an increase in your electricity bills and more frequent cooling cycles, it’s important to schedule professional air conditioner repairs to fix the cause of the short-cycling.
For more information about air conditioner short-cycling, take a look at Merrell & Associates’ professional air conditioning repairs, or call us today.