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It’s frustrating when something goes wrong with your furnace because it makes your house cozy during the long winters. A furnace that continually switches on and off all the time is one common problem. Short pedaling is the term for this problem. Your heating system is put under stress, which could result in expensive repairs or even early replacement.
There are a number of causes for short riding. Read up on the potential reasons and solutions before scheduling furnace repair.
What could cause a heater to shut off too soon?
A house will heat unevenly if a heater doesn’t operate for the required amount of time. The heater hasn’t been on long enough to produce enough heated air, so the areas furthest along the ventilation system won’t get as much heating as they ought to. When you observe that your home is not heating evenly, check to see if your heater is cycling on and off. A condition known as short-cycling may be present in the heater if the run-time sounds quicker than usual.
Short-cycling occurs when a radiator abruptly shuts off before completing its typical heating cycle. For a furnace or heat system, a complete heating cycle typically lasts 15 minutes or longer. No matter how low you’ve set the thermostat, if your heater continues turning off after only five minutes, that’s too short.
What causes short cycling
Filter Clog
This is one of the most common sources of problems in an HVAC system. If the filter is heavily clogged with dust and debris, the furnace may shut down as a safety measure. Fortunately, this is a simple issue to solve—just insert a new filter. We suggest changing the HVAC system filter every 1 to 3 months, depending on how frequently you use the heater and the strength of the filter.
Thermostat is not working properly
If your thermostat is giving out incorrect signals, this could be the cause of your heater cycling on and off. The thermostat could be wrongly reading temperatures or have a bad connection to the heater’s control board. Technicians can re-calibrate the thermostat or perform other adjustments to ensure that the heater works properly.
Corroded Flame Detector
This is true for gas furnaces, the most prevalent type of heating system. When the gas valve is open, the flame sensor decides whether the burners are turned on. If the sensor does not detect flames, it will turn off the gas, preventing an accumulation of unburned gas in the combustion chamber. The flame sensor will repeatedly close the gas valve and cause the furnace to shut off because it cannot identify fire when it is covered in dirt or debris.
Extra-large heater
An improper installation is the most severe problem that can lead to a furnace that keeps turning off. When a heater is too strong for a house, the living areas heat up so quickly that the timer turns the heater off too soon.
All you can do in this situation is organize for the installation of a new heating system, this time by a qualified expert who will ensure the heater is the proper size.
What to do if your heater is constantly shutting off
It’s almost always a safety or control problem if your furnace abruptly shuts off or cycles on and off. If your furnace keeps shutting off, there are a number of items you should examine, which I’ve broken down into possible causes.
Adjust the temperature.
If your furnace continues shutting off, you should start by checking the thermostat.
When your home achieves the set temperature, the blower will cycle on and off if the fan mode on your thermostat is set to “Auto.” This behavior is entirely typical.
If this is the case, you can set the fan setting of the thermostat to “On” to keep the blower running constantly. However, since the blower works continuously—even when your home doesn’t need any more heat—your furnace will use more energy as a result.
Verify the control board for mistakes.
The main board should be checked next. The control board of your furnace ought to have a diagnostic lamp. Depending on the condition of your furnace, the light will blink in a specific sequence.
Check the error code chart to determine the problem if the diagnostic light on your control board is flashing incorrectly. You can identify the mistake and fix your furnace once you know what it was that caused it.
It’s important to note that the control board may be the problem. Relays on the control board switch on components like the gas valve, inducer, and blower. The control board will need to be changed if any relays fail.
Replace the air filter.
The next action you should take is to replace the air filter if your control board doesn’t indicate any mistakes.
One of the most frequent reasons for short cycling in a furnace is airflow limitations caused by a dirty air filter. Your heater will operate with less airflow if your air filter is dirty. Your furnace might keep shutting off if there is an excessive quantity of airflow restriction inside. What causes that to occur?
There is a component in the burner called the high limit switch. In the event that the temperature inside the furnace rises too high, the high limit switch’s duty is to turn off the flames.
Since there is insufficient airflow to distribute the heat throughout your house, the temperature inside the furnace rises when there is an excessive airflow restriction. The high limit switch in your heater will trip if the interior temperature rises too high, turning off the burners.
Open the ventilation in your house.
Another factor limiting airflow in your house is closed air vents. Closed air vents will deprive your heater of airflow and trigger its high limit switch, much like a dirty air filter would.
Reopen those air vents if the furnace in your home continues shutting off after you’ve closed some of them. If you choke off airflow in the system, your furnace won’t function correctly because it requires a sufficient amount of airflow to operate.