Given its damaging potential, it should worry all homeowners in Cape Charles, VA to see their heat pumps short cycling. This is when a heat pump turns on and off too often to be able to complete a proper cooling cycle. Here are some reasons why heat pumps might short cycle.
Dirty Filters
Dirty filters can cut off airflow through your heat pump and cause the entire system to overheat. In response, it may shut down, only to start up again after cooling down a bit. From the outside, this can look like short cycling.
Don’t continue to use debris-covered filters. Remember to clean or replace them every one to three months.
Electrical Issues
Heat pumps run on electricity. Therefore, any issues with electrical wiring, however subtle or seemingly insignificant they seem, may have serious consequences for how these systems operate.
Age
The older a heat pump gets, the more likely it will be to experience all kinds of malfunctions, of which short cycling is only one. Of course, scheduling annual tune-ups and immediate repairs when needed will put your heat pump in the best shape possible, but it will still decline as it ages.
The average lifespan of an air-source heat pump is about 15 years while the equivalent for a ground-source or geothermal model is about 20-25 years. If your system begins short cycling after passing this point, then you probably have an age-related problem.
A short-cycling heat pump is most likely experiencing serious trouble. To keep that trouble from growing worse, you must act as soon as you notice that something is wrong. If you live around Cape Charles, VA, call Absolute Comfort Heating & Cooling, Inc. and let us provide you with heat pump services today.
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