Short cycling is one of the most dangerous problems that can afflict any climate control system, including furnaces. It vastly increases the level of wear and tear on the furnace, shortening its lifespan and making it much more likely for various parts of the system to break down. If you want your furnace to live a long and healthy lifespan, you should do everything you can to prevent it from short cycling. There’s one very simple way to make sure that your furnace is unlikely to short cycle. Read on to find out more about that method.
How Short Cycling Happens
You first need to understand how short cycling happens, before you can understand how to prevent it. Short cycling is the result of heat becoming trapped in the furnace. This causes the furnace to overheat, which causes the system’s limit switch to activate and shut down the system. When the furnace turns on again, it will overheat again and be shut down again. This cycle continues indefinitely until the entire system breaks down from the strain.
The most common reason for heat to become trapped in the heating system is because of a clogged air filter. The air filter is designed to protect the furnace from any dust or debris that might enter it through the ducts. The filter does this job well, but if it isn’t cleaned every few months it can become so clogged that it stops most air from flowing through it. If you want to lessen the chances of your furnace short cycling as much as possible, you should make sure to get your air filter cleaned at least once every few months.
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