There are areas in this country where the heating system is not nearly as important as the air conditioner. Even in those areas with consistently cool weather in the winter season, the heater is not always a top priority. It can be easy to overlook issues with one’s heater as attention is diverted to more pressing matters. Here in Vermont and throughout the northeast, of course, few matters are more pressing than heating issues during a frigid winter cold snap.
Even so, some people do seem to take a “good enough” attitude when it comes to their home heating systems. Don’t fall into this trap! If your heater in Southern Vermont is not functioning properly in any way, you may be on the precipice of a slippery slope. Once you start sliding down that slope, it can be extremely difficult to stop the descent. Work with our team to have any necessary heating repairs in Ludlow completed as soon as possible.
Short Cycling IS a Major Problem
There are those individuals that think anything shy of a heater blowing cold air or a complete breakdown is not a major problem. What you have to remember is that those sorts of issues usually have symptoms leading up to them. Not every breakdown happens immediately. Short cycling may seem like a minor nuisance, but left alone, it will lead to bigger issues that you’ll wish you had dealt with earlier on.
So what is short cycling? Basically, it means that your heater is running in short bursts. It will start up, run for a while, but then cycle back down relatively quickly. Then, it will start up again, and that cycle will continue. Why is this a problem, though, if heat is still being produced?
- Reduced Energy Efficiency: You’re going to pay to heat your home for a decent chunk of the year in this area. You should not have to overpay in order to live comfortably, though. However, that’s just what you’ll be doing if your system short cycles. Starting up a system uses more energy than keeping it running, so short cycling is a major cause of inefficiency.
- Increased Wear and Tear: Your heater is going to suffer a lot of unnecessary wear and tear if you keep letting it short cycle. That is going to reduce energy efficiency even further. Worse, it will also increase the risk of operational problems, making the need for further repairs more likely.
- Decreased Performance Quality: Giving your heater a beating and paying more to heat your home is already a bad deal. What you wind up paying more for a weaker heating performance too, though? That’s the reality of a short cycling heater. Your heating system needs to run in full cycles in order to maintain the comfort that you deserve in your home, and that’s not possible when short cycling.
Underlying Issues
What causes short cycling? Any number of problems. It could be as simple as a very dirty air filter causing too much airflow resistance. You can fix that problem yourself with a fresh filter. It could also be a failing thermocouple, malfunctioning thermostat, or another component that will require professional service, though. If you use a heat pump, you may even have a refrigerant leak! Whatever the case, we’ll get to the bottom of it and fix the problem successfully.
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