Sometimes you may feel that the air conditioner is going on and off too frequently. If it does, it requires an inspection. This is a very common problem which is also referred as “short cycling”. Short cycling can lead to fast wear and tear of the A/c. It will also compromise your comfort level. Let’s find out what causes short cycling of air conditioner unit-

The position of the thermostat

The thermostat is the brain of your air conditioner. When you set a temperature at the thermostat, it directs the air conditioner to generate the required cooling level. As soon as the temperature is reached, the thermostat directs the air conditioner to cycle off. When the temperature goes up again, the thermostat asks the A/c to start operation for another cooling cycle. This is how an A/c cycles on and off. Suppose your thermostat is placed in an area, which is exposed to direct sunlight or is near an electric appliance which produces certain amount of heat, the heat that it receives from these sources will make it feel that the room is warmer. Consequently, it will ask the A/c to cool off the room. The same thing can happen if the thermostat is positioned near a supply air vent or cooling source. If this is the problem, call a A/c technician and reposition the thermostat in a centralized location.

Dirty air filter

Replacing the filter of the air conditioner on regular interval is one of the mandatory maintenance tasks that should be performed by a homeowner. Dirty filters can cause a series of serious problems in your A/c. When the filers are dirty they will not let enough air to pass through the mesh. As the result a marginal amount of room air is able to go to evaporator coil through the filter. The cool refrigerant in the coil will get enough heat from the air to get hot and vaporized. The temperature of the coil will fall and it will freeze up. This can cause the unit to malfunction by turning on and off in short bursts.

Leaking Refrigerant

The refrigerant is also called the life blood of an A/c unit. It circulated through the unit and enables it to carry out the cooling cycle. The refrigerant charge of an air conditioner goes down due to leaky refrigerant lines. When the charge is low, the pressure required by the compressor to operate also goes down. The compressor is shut off for the safety of the device. When your compressor is off, pressure rises and triggers it to restart again; creating a rapid on/off cycle that can cause serious system damage or possible failure.

Over sized unit

Sometimes you are tempted to buy an over sized unit, assuming that it will cool your house better. Just then opposite. An over sized unit will cycle on and off frequently. It will not able to maintain proper humidity limits. You will feel uncomfortable inside. You will need to replace the unit. A correct heat load calculation of the house needs to be done to buy an A/c of appropriate size.

A short cycling AC can cause number of problems –

• It will shoot up your electric bill
• Increased chances of break down
• Shortens your air conditioner's lifespan

In case your unit is short cycling, contact a trustworthy AC company to find out the cause. They will diagnose the cause and do the needful.