Minneapolis winters are very chilly, so keeping warm is essential. If your furnace is only running short cycles before turning off again, it might be more difficult to keep warm. It could also be raising your heating bills because your furnace has to work more to keep the temperature at what was set. Short cycles can be a sign for many things that are wrong for your furnace, but there are some easy ways to check or fix these issues.
Dirty Furnace Filter
Dirty furnace filters can lead to many different problems, and we can add short cycles to that list! Filters that are too dirty will keep air from going into the air ducts. Instead, the air is held back into the furnace, making it too warm for the furnace to keep going. That makes the cycles shorter to not overheat the furnace. Be sure to check your furnace filter before setting up an appointment with your HVAC provider because this is an easy fix.
Dirty or Faulty Flame Sensor/Blower
If there is a faulty flame sensor, the furnace will most likely turn off right after turning on. In most cases, the flame sensor will have to be replaced to fix your furnace. The blower motor is what circulates the warm air throughout your home. If it is either not turning on, or broken, the warm air in your home will sit in one room or come out of one or two vents in your home. Depending on the status of your blower motor, it may need to be replaced.
Faulty Thermostat
The thermostat can be faulty for mainly three reasons. It might need new batteries, be placed in the wrong room, or need to be replaced. If it needs new batteries, that is a simple fix of replacing the batteries. Thermostats should be in a more open area where it can detect the temperature of moving air, not the air concentrated in one room. If it is trapped in a room, it might be detecting the air of just that room, which can fluctuate easily with the movement of the sun. When the room the thermostat is in warms faster than any other room, your furnace will be more likely to turn off quicker. If it needs to be moved or replaced, contact your HVAC professionals to fix the thermostat.
Your Furnace Is Too Big
If your furnace is too big for your space, it will heat the rooms in your home unevenly. Because the furnace uses more energy to heat a smaller home, it will heat your home too quickly and make one room warmer and turn off the furnace before the other rooms are heated. Check out our FAQ about how to measure your furnace or contact us to find out how your furnace is measured and sized.
If your furnace is running in short cycles, be sure to call your HVAC professionals. At Twin City Heating and Air, we value your safety. Contact us to learn more about what precautions we are taking to keep your family safe.
