When the temperature in your Arlington, VA home or business is comfortable, the heating system shuts itself off in response. However, it could indicate a serious problem when your furnace keeps turning on and off randomly throughout the day. When a furnace keeps turning on and off, it is usually due to short cycling. This is the term used to describe problems originating from within the heating system. If short cycling is not promptly diagnosed and corrected, it could cause permanent damage to your heating unit and higher utility bills.
The average heating system cycles on and off three to six times every hour. To diagnose a problem with short cycling, our technicians run a test cycle of your heating unit and count how many times it stops and restarts over 60 minutes.
One of the most common causes of short cycling is also the easiest to fix. This sends the incorrect message to the heating system that your home is already warm enough. The unit subsequently shuts itself off and your home becomes cold, signaling the system to start up again.
To avoid this problem, make sure that you change the air filter at the start of each new season and check it monthly. Sometimes the problem of short cycling is caused by a faulty thermostat and not by the unit itself. You should ensure that your thermostat is turned on and set to the accurate settings before assuming that your heating unit needs to be repaired.
When your furnace creates heat, combustion gases are vented out of your home via a flue pipe. Your furnace starts when it receives a signal from the thermostat that tells it to turn on. Depending on the temperature you set, when the thermostat detects the air temperature dropping below that number, it activates the furnace. When the thermostat sends its signal to the furnace, the furnace gas valve opens and ignites the burner component beneath the combustion chamber.
The gas valve works with the thermostat to regulate the amount of gas that flows into your furnace. For instructions on relighting the pilot light, refer to your manufacturer instructions or contact a professional.
You may also have an issue with your thermocouple or thermopile, which helps detect whether your pilot light is on or not. Your thermocouple is an essential safety device that makes sure your gas valve is not sending gas into a furnace without a working pilot light. The flames from the burner component heat a metal heat exchanger. The heat circulates through the looped tubes of the heat exchanger, transferring the heat to air.
This is an extremely important part. Heat exchanger can also be dangerous if they develop any leaks or cracks. An efficient and well-maintained heat exchanger is essential for a working furnace. During the process of heating the heat exchanger, combustion gases should be venting safely out of the house.
As the heat circulates through the heat exchanger, the blower motor and fan moves the heat through plenum, and from there through the rest of the ductwork in your home. The heat flows through the various vents in your home to provide you with heat. Once enough heat is generated, the thermostat will shut off the heater. In any case, a trained and qualified HVAC technician will be able to fix the problem quickly and effectively.
The energy efficiency of your furnace is dependent on its Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency AFUE , which basically tells you how much of your fuel is used for heating and how much is lost due to combustion usually out of your vents. Think of AFUE as the gas mileage of your furnace. AFUE will decline over the years due to ductwork leaks and inefficiencies, dirty furnace components, loose and damaged parts, and clogged air filters.
Manufacturers know this too, which is why they typically void any warranties if regular maintenance is neglected. The best way to stay on top of heating and air conditioning maintenance is by signing up for a home maintenance plan. Your trained and licensed technician will be able to clean your unit and get it ready for the working season ahead.
Click here for a list of professional furnace maintenance tasks. A combination of insulation improvements , air sealing , and winterization projects will help ensure your heating system is efficient and long-lasting.
Having problems with your heating equipment? Unless your thermostat just needs batteries, you will need to contact a professional to either replace any old wiring or relocate your thermostat to a more appropriate location. If your furnace shuts off too often, you could have a corroded or dirty flame sensor. A flame sensor lets your system know there's a flame when the gas valve is open. If there isn't a flame, the sensor will shut off the gas valve to keep the gas from getting into your house.
If the flame sensor is dirty or has become corroded, the flame won't register and will turn off the gas valve, which, in turn, causes your system to shut down.
You will need to contact a professional to check this, especially if your furnace is cycling on and off too quickly. The blower motor is what circulates the air throughout your house. It's possible your furnace will run when the blower motor is off; however, that's rare. But on the rare occurrence it does, there wouldn't be any air blowing over the heat exchangers which would cause your furnace to go off. The best way to check this is to hold your hand up near the vents to see if there is any air coming out.
If there is no airflow or the airflow is weak, the blower motor is likely the problem. The flue pipe, also known as the exhaust vent, is located on your roof and can also cause your furnace to short cycle.
This happens when dirt, leaves, sticks, or other debris like a bird or animal nest ends up inside the pipe resulting in a blockage. This blockage will cause hot gases to build up in your furnace causing it to overheat. One of your furnace's safety features includes a mechanism that will trigger your furnace to shut down if it gets overheated.
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