Your heat pump in Lake Worth, FL, shouldn’t turn off before finishing a full cooling cycle. If that’s happening, your heat pump is short cycling. Let’s look at issues that can cause your heat pump to start short cycling.

Filthy Air Filter

A dirty air filter can cause overheating. When overheating occurs, your heat pump might shut off to prevent damage. The heat pump cools down, turns on again, overheats and continues short cycling.

If the air filter is causing this issue, a new filter should help. Changing the filter is generally easy maintenance that you can do yourself. But don’t hesitate to get help if you’re unsure how to proceed.

Malfunctioning Thermostat

The thermostat tells your heat pump when to start and stop. If the thermostat is faulty, it can send incorrect signals to the heat pump.

Sometimes, the thermostat isn’t actually faulty. The device might be in a bad spot, like sitting in direct sunlight. This can cause your heat pump to turn off too soon because the thermostat thinks the room is at the correct temperature when it isn’t.

Oversized Heat Pump

A heat pump that’s too large for your home might short cycle. The only way to fix this issue is to get the correct-sized heat pump for your home.

Sizing is often complicated and relies on several factors, such as the square footage of your home and the height of the ceilings. Other things to consider include insulation, air leakage and the climate.

Low Refrigerant Level

If the refrigerant level is too low, the heat pump might overheat or freeze up. The pump will eventually restart, but the problem will continue. If your heat pump is short cycling, ask an HVAC service technician to check its refrigerant.

Short cycling can wear out your heat pump and raise your energy bills. Contact Temperature Control Solutions for help with your heat pump in Lake Worth, FL.

Image provided by iStock