{"id":2300,"date":"2024-02-19T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-02-19T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.wallheatingandair.com\/blog\/?p=2300"},"modified":"2024-02-16T14:41:00","modified_gmt":"2024-02-16T19:41:00","slug":"what-a-short-cycling-heat-pump-means","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.wallheatingandair.com\/blog\/what-a-short-cycling-heat-pump-means\/","title":{"rendered":"What a Short-Cycling Heat Pump Means"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"alignright size-medium\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wallheatingandair.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/What-a-Short-Cycling-Heat-Pump-Means.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"168\" src=\"https:\/\/www.wallheatingandair.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/What-a-Short-Cycling-Heat-Pump-Means-300x168.jpg\" alt=\"heat-pump-outdoor-units\" class=\"wp-image-2301\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.wallheatingandair.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/What-a-Short-Cycling-Heat-Pump-Means-300x168.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.wallheatingandair.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/What-a-Short-Cycling-Heat-Pump-Means-768x430.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.wallheatingandair.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/What-a-Short-Cycling-Heat-Pump-Means.jpg 800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n<p>Whether it\u2019s heating your home or cooling it down, your heat pump will always run in cycles. When the thermostat signals that heating or cooling is needed, the compressor will kick on and the heat pump will run until your home reaches the correct temperature. Then it will turn off, which gives it a resting period before the next time the thermostat signals it to start up again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Short cycling is what it\u2019s called when the heat pump\u2019s cycles happen too frequently. They should occur only a few times per hour, and if they happen every few minutes, something is definitely wrong. What could be causing your heat pump to short cycle? Is it a serious concern? If so, why, and what should you do about it? We\u2019ve got the answers for you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<!--more-->\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Causes of Heat Pump Short Cycling<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This is not a symptom that has one definite cause. There are several different things that can lead to short cycling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>The Air Filter: <\/strong>If the heat pump\u2019s air filter is clogged, there won\u2019t be enough airflow through the system. It will shut down much sooner than usual to prevent overheating.<\/li><li><strong>The Refrigerant: <\/strong>A damaged and leaking refrigerant coil means insufficient refrigerant in the system. This makes the heat pump\u2019s job harder to do, which can also lead to overheating and frequent shutdowns.<\/li><li><strong>The Evaporator Coil: <\/strong>Sometimes, ice builds up on the evaporator segment of the refrigerator coils. This insulates the coil, preventing it from working properly.<\/li><li><strong>The Thermostat: <\/strong>A miscalibrated or malfunctioning thermostat can send signals that don\u2019t make a lot of sense! This can lead to the heat pump turning on and off when it shouldn\u2019t.<\/li><li><strong>The Wiring: <\/strong>Electrical problems can also result in inconsistent or incorrect signals being sent from the thermostat to the heat pump.<\/li><li><strong>The Size of the Unit: <\/strong>If this has been happening the whole time you\u2019ve had your heat pump, it could simply be that it is incorrectly sized for your home and the job it\u2019s trying to perform.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Problems Caused by Short Cycling<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>This is not just a symptom of an existing problem. It\u2019s also a cause of more problems! That\u2019s why it\u2019s so important to get prompt repair for <a href=\"\/heat-pumps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">heat pumps in Suwanee, GA<\/a> that experience short cycling.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The two most serious issues short cycling creates are high utility bills and strain to the compressor. Both are the result of the startup being the most energy-intensive, high-strain part of the cycle. Going through that process every five minutes instead of every twenty minutes uses a lot of electricity and adds a lot of wear and tear to the compressor, which is the most precious and expensive component of the heat pump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What to Do When Your Heat Pump Short Cycles<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Your first port of call should be the air filter. You can check yourself whether this needs to be cleaned (if reusable) or replaced (if disposable). You might be able to solve the problem right away with no need for repairs! Then, if there\u2019s any ice on the evaporator coils, shut down the system and let it melt. Using a hair dryer to speed the melting is okay, but don\u2019t scrape at the ice, because you could puncture the coils.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If these solutions don\u2019t result in a heat pump with longer cycles, or if you find the ice on your coils builds right back up again, you need repair from a qualified technician. Whatever the cause of the short cycling, we\u2019re ready to diagnose and repair it!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-text-align-center\"><a href=\"\/contact\/contact\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>Reach out to Wall Heating &amp; Air Conditioning, Inc.<\/strong><\/a><strong> to make an appointment.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What could be causing your heat pump to short cycle? Is it a serious concern? If so, why, and what should you do about it? We\u2019ve got the answers for you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[98,157],"class_list":["post-2300","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-heat-pumps","tag-heat-pumps","tag-suwanee"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wallheatingandair.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2300","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wallheatingandair.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wallheatingandair.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wallheatingandair.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wallheatingandair.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2300"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.wallheatingandair.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2300\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2303,"href":"https:\/\/www.wallheatingandair.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2300\/revisions\/2303"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.wallheatingandair.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2300"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wallheatingandair.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2300"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.wallheatingandair.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2300"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}