Summer is coming up very quickly here in Brea, CA, and if you’re installing a new air conditioner in your home, you may be induced to act quickly before the temperatures get too high. One of the biggest mistakes people make when installing a system system is buying an air conditioner that is too powerful for their home. Obviously a system that is too small won’t do the job, and most people naturally assume that bigger is better. Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the case, and if your air conditioner is too large, it results in a serious problem known as short cycling.
What Is Short Cycling?
Short cycling occurs when an air conditioner turns on, then turns off again just a few minutes later, only to turn on quickly again as the air warms up. It can be caused by a number of factors, but an overpowered air conditioner, which cools the home too quickly, is a chief source of the problem. It’s a problem because air conditioners use much more power starting up and shutting down that it does just running. As a result, short cycling costs you a lot of money in wasted energy. Even worse, it increases wear and tear on the system, and with it, increases the chances of a more serious breakdown (as well as shortening the overall lifespan of your system).
Sizing Matters
The difficulty with an overpowered system that short cycles is that there’s no real way to make adjustments. You need to replace the entire system, and even if it’s covered by the warranty, the time and hassle involved can be exasperating. That’s why proper sizing of your new air conditioner from a trained technician is so important. Sizing uses the square footage of your home as a base, but also factors in things like insulation and sunlight exposure to get you the perfectly sized air conditioner.
Trust JC Mechanical, Inc. to install a new air conditioner in your home.