In part one of this two-part blog, we went over some of the common culprits associated with furnace short-cycling. Furnace short-cycling, which involves the furnace turning on and off too frequently and failing to provide adequate heating to the home or building in question, can arise from several different possible causes, and can lead to significant strain on HVAC components in addition to substandard heating.
When you visit the team with At Your Service Plumbing, Heating & Air, however, any short-cycling risks will quickly be a thing of the past. We offer detailed furnace repair and maintenance services, and have addressed numerous such concerns for Utah homeowners in our many years as HVAC professionals. In today’s part two, we’ll dig into a few additional potential culprits if you notice short-cycling taking place in your furnace.
Blockage Issues
We noted overheating as the primary cause of many short-cycling issues in the furnace, and one underlying reason the furnace may overheat is a blockage that stops it from letting the proper heat out. There are a couple such potential blockages to watch out for:
- Heat grates: If too many vents in your home are closed, or if there are blockages somewhere near the heat grates themselves, the furnace will not be able to send heat to enough places. This will build up heat inside the furnace, leading to overheating. Check to ensure at least three-quarters of your grates are open and not blocked by furniture or any other items.
- Exhaust vent: In other cases, your exhaust vent may be blocked by animals, birds, snow or ice. This stops carbon monoxide from being expelled through the exhaust flue, which can be dangerous while also causing short cycling.
Improper Furnace Size
Another cause of furnace short-cycling actually goes all the way back to installation: If your home has a furnace that’s too large for the space, short cycling may take place. This is because the furnace has too large a capacity and creates more heat than the home needs, leading to overheating.
Thermostat Location
Finally, you may experience furnace short cycling because your thermostat is too close to some kind of warming source, whether a heating grate or the furnace itself. In this situation, the thermostat will think the entire home has reached the proper temperature even in cases where this isn’t true. Luckily, it’s usually simple to relocate the thermostat to a more central location, one that receives an even temperature distribution and is therefore a better representation of the entire home’s temperature at a given moment.
For more on possible reasons for your furnace short cycling, or to learn about any of our HVAC or plumbing services, speak to the staff with At Your Service Plumbing, Heating & Air today.