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Why Is My Heater Starting and Stopping Frequently?

Delivering Quality Comfort to the Homes and Businesses of Hartford County and New Haven County
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Wouldn't it be great if you could invest in a heater, schedule routine maintenance, and then never have to worry about needing heating repair in Hartford, CT? We sure think so. Unfortunately for all of us, this is simply not the reality of the situation. The truth of the matter is that even the best heaters, and even those that are the most well-maintained, are going to encounter operational problems from time to time. Preventative tune-ups limit the risk of problems, but eventually one will strike!

When it does, it is very important that you schedule professional heating repairs as soon as you possibly can. Putting any repair needs on the backburner will only give those problems the time necessary for doing more serious damage to your system. One fairly obvious sign of trouble is a heater that is starting up, but running only very briefly before cycling back down again. If this is happening in your home, be sure to give us a call and to schedule prompt heating repairs!

It May Not Be That Big of a Problem

Okay, first let's start off with the good news. A short cycling heater is not necessarily going to be a huge problem. Well, it is a huge problem in that it will negatively affect your comfort, drive up energy cost, and put your heating system at risk of damage. What we mean is that it may not be a problem with a very serious cause. In fact, it could be as simple of a fix as replacing a dirty air filter.

If your air filter is too dirty, then it is going to increase airflow resistance throughout the system. If the system is faced with too much airflow resistance, it may start to overheat. That could lead to the system cycling down in order to prevent damage. Changing a dirty filter could be the solution to the issue.

You could also need professional services, but still for relatively minor problems. A faulty thermocouple could be shutting down the system as a safety precaution (or could be functioning properly, meaning that there actually is a safety issue with fuel combustion temperatures to address), or you could have a faulty thermostat that is misreading temperatures. Whatever the case, we'll resolve the problem correctly.

It Could Be a Big Problem, Though

If your system controls are not functioning properly, you are going to need professional services to get them back on track. That is a more substantial job than, say, replacing a thermostat with a new one. You could also have a problem with your fuel delivery system, and that could mean that your heater, when running, is not operating safely.

If you use a heat pump, you could even have a refrigerant leak in the system. If this is the case, continuing to run that system could result in a complete breakdown. Just because there are some potential causes of short cycling that may not be that serious does not mean that it is a problem that you can ignore.

Live more comfortably, choose Dynamic Mechanical.

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