When your furnace turns on and off repeatedly, it can be annoying. But more than that, it can cause disparate temperatures throughout your home, even within the same room. This can lead to headaches, nausea and general discomfort. In addition, it can cause undue stress on your unit, so that it breaks down more frequently and ultimately has a shorter life span. But what does it mean when a furnace turns on and off? And what can you do about it?

When your furnace turns on and off, also called short cycling, it’s generally the result of overheating. The furnace gets too hot and automatically shuts off. Then, once it cools a bit, it’s able to restart, until it overheats again.

If your furnace is overheating, that means it’s overworked. Why? First check to see if your vents or ductwork are clogged with dust and debris. This slows down the airflow into your home. With less air, your furnace needs to work harder and run longer in order to heat your home to its desired temperature. And this overwork can lead to your furnace turning on and off ad infinitum.

Likewise, the problem may be with your furnace filter. Since the filter captures all the dust and debris from the air, it gets clogged periodically and must be replaced, or it can cause the same problems as described above. Check your filter once a month to see if it needs to be replaced, and do so at least every two to three months. If the filter is white and light can pass through it, it’s still all right. If it’s dark and opaque, it’s time to replace it.

Finally, if you have a variable speed fan, you can guard against your furnace cycling on and off by using the lower speed during the winter. Warm air is lighter and moves more easily, so the lower fan speed is more than adequate for distributing it throughout your house, while saving wear and tear on your furnace.

If your furnace turns on and off frequently, or if you have other home comfort concerns, contact Bill Joplin’s Air Conditioning & Heating today.