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Residential Heating and Air Conditioning Blog

How Often Should a Furnace Cycle?

Inside a gas furnace. Focus = the top of the middle flange. 12MP camera.

If you start to run your furnace this winter and notice that your furnace cycling is a little off, then you’ve found the right blog. It’s interesting to think about because you’re probably not aware of how much you notice the patterns in your home. The rhythms of your homes are subtle, but you’re sure to notice when something has changed. If you’ve noticed that the cycling in your home has sped up or slowed down, then it’s time to consider furnace repair in Excelsior, MN

If all is well in your home, your furnace should cycle about 2 to 3 times an hour. The length of the cycles gets a little tricky. This is dependent upon how cold it is in your home and how warm you want it to be. You can allow some wiggle room with this, but the amount of cycles should stay fairly consistent. 

Short Cycling?

Short cycling is all too common for heaters that encounter trouble. When we meet homeowners and talk to them about this issue, they often wonder why it’s occurring at all. Here are some of the most common reasons that your furnace might short cycle. 

An Oversized Furnace

If you have an oversized furnace, it’s all too easy for your home’s heater to start short cycling. This is why so many HVAC professionals underscore the importance of sizing your furnace correctly. A lot of homeowners think that if they can’t get an accurate furnace size, that a bigger one is better. This isn’t the case. 

Furnaces that are too big for the space they’re in will heat up a room too quickly. When this happens, a room will reach its desired temperature too fast, cool off, and then start the entire process all over again. 

A Bad Thermostat

You need to make sure that your furnace is pristine. Yes, your home’s digital thermostat might be doing the job, but you need to ask yourself if it’s doing the job well. An advanced thermostat will not only do the job, it will also help you save money and improve your home’s efficiency. 

This is why we recommend smart and Wi-Fi thermostats.  They’re going to help you get precise heating, save money, and reduce your energy consumption as well. 

Leaky Ducts

If your home’s ductwork is gapping, cracking, or if it just has any other compromised spots, then you’re going to run into trouble in your home. Leaky ducts are bad news. It can result in bad heating that causes short cycling. Make sure that you have an HVAC professional check in with your ductwork on a routine basis so you can avoid these issues. 

Other Reasons Leading to Dysfunction

The issues that we listed above are the bigger, structural issues that might cause short cycling. There are smaller issues that could lead to these same problems. We want you to watch out for these too. Keep an eye out for:

  • Closed registers or vents
  • Blocked registers or vents (make sure your couch, bookshelf, or wall art isn’t hurting you)
  • A dirty HVAC filter

Once you double-check that these problems aren’t contributing to issues, then you can get the service you need.

Contact Residential Heating and Air Conditioning today to schedule an appointment with our professionals. Feel the Difference. 

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