Air conditioning units are such a handy addition to your home, especially if you live in one of the warmer climates in the USA. With an air conditioning unit, you no longer need to suffer warm summer days, instead, you can simply switch the unit on and your home will be filled with cool and refreshing air.
But the issue with air conditioning units is that, like all machines, they often encounter errors and issues that cause them to be unable to operate as they should. Suddenly your nice cool air is no longer available, and you are left suffering the heat of a hot day.
One common issue that people experience with their air conditioner is that the unit shuts off after only 5 minutes of running. In this guide, we’re taking a look at the possible causes of this, and some great solutions which will get your air conditioning unit running like normal once again.
Why is My Air Conditioner Shutting Off?
If you have noticed that your air conditioner has begun to switch off only a few minutes after you switch it on, then you’re in the right place. If your air conditioner is switching itself off prematurely, then this is probably due to a problem that is known as short cycling. When this first begins to happen you might not notice that it is a problem at first, but when it begins to happen regularly, this type of problem can become a real pain.
To begin with, you might right off short-cycling as a simple inconvenience, but in the long run, this issue can become very expensive. Short cycling is bad, and it is especially bad for your bank account for 2 primary reasons. One is that this issue has known connections to an increase in the cost of energy bills. Energy bills can already be expensive, but if your air conditioner is short cycling this will require it to be restarted more often which can be very costly over time.
If your air conditioner is short cycling, this can also have a negative impact on your wallet as this issue will increase the wear and tear that your air conditioning system experiences. While all air conditioning units will experience wear and tear simply by being used regularly, an air conditioner that is experiencing short cycling issues will be more prone to this.
This will limit the lifespan of your air conditioner and cause it to require replacing much sooner. Both of these costly consequences are reasons why you should fix any issues when you first notice them. So let’s take a look at some of the possible causes of your air conditioner short cycling.
Cause 1: Dirty Air Filter
The first issue that could be causing your air conditioner to switch itself off after only 5 minutes of operation is a dirty air filter. This might not be one of the causes that you would immediately consider, but it is incredibly common for a dirty air filter to cause your air conditioner to short cycle. Out of all of the issues that your air conditioner could be experiencing, this is one of the causes that is cheaper to fix. But how can a dirty air filter be causing your air conditioner to short cycle?
Air filters complete the vital job of filtering dirt out of the air that passes through the conditioner, and because of this the air filter can often become too dirty and clog. This limits the airflow through the filter and can cause the evaporator coils in the air conditioner to freeze over. This in turn will then cause your air conditioner to short cycle and cut out.
To identify if this is the cause of your air conditioner’s problem, you will need to remove your air filter from the air conditioner unit. Once you have removed the filter you will easily be able to tell if this is the cause as the filter will look dirty and dusty. If this is the case, you should purchase a new air filter and replace your existing one with the new one.
If after changing your air filter you find that your air conditioner continues to freeze over, then another issue must be the cause. So let’s take a look at some of the other possible causes of short cycling.
Cause 2: Oversized Air Conditioner
Another possible cause for your air conditioner short cycling is your air conditioning unit being too large for your home. As you will expect, this is not a cheap issue to fix as it will require your air conditioner to be replaced if you want to fix the problem.
If your air conditioner is too large for your home, it will be able to cool your home much quicker than an air conditioner that is appropriate for your home’s size. Due to this, it will cool the air quickly and then shut itself off as the machine believes that it has completed the job that it has set out to do.
On the surface, this might appear to be a good thing, but having an air conditioner that is too large for your home is actually a bad thing, and it can cause a whole host of problems in your home.
You might think that using an AC unit that is too large for your home will be a cheaper option, but it works out to be more expensive as your energy bills will be very high. It can also hinder the AC’s ability to do its job and can cause increased humidity in your home, and an increased number of hot and cold spots in your home. So you should always buy an AC unit that is the right size for your home if you do not want it to shut itself off after only a few minutes.
Cause 3: Thermostat is in a Bad Position
Additionally, the cause of your air conditioner short cycling could be due to the location that your thermostat is located in. This is an issue that some people also experience with their heating systems, so let’s take a look at how this issue works.
Your thermostat gages the temperature of your home based on the specific area that the thermostat is in. Despite the location of your thermostat is very important, it is very common for them to be placed in areas that do not match the temperature of the rest of your home.
This can cause the thermostat to be tricked into thinking the air conditioner unit has done its job when it has actually only successfully cooled the area surrounding the thermostat. This can cause your air conditioner to switch off or on in irregular patterns and can be a cause of short cycling.
As you spend a lot of time in your home, it should be easy for you to tell if this is the cause of the issue. Bad locations to have your thermostat include the immediate vicinity of a window or an exterior door, and also near any supply or air vents in your home. So if you think that this could be the cause of your AC short cycling, you should contact a professional to move your thermostat to a different location in your home.
Cause 4: Refrigerant Leak
Finally, your AC could be short cycling due to something that is known as a refrigerant leak. You may not have heard of refrigerants, but this liquid plays a vital role in cooling your home and removing the heat from the air. In AC units, it is very common for them to experience issues during their lifetime where this refrigerant begins to leak. But how does this cause your air conditioning unit to short cycle?
If the refrigerant liquid in your air conditioning unit begins to leak, this can cause the pressure in your AC unit to drop which can, in turn, trigger the low-pressure switch on the air conditioning unit’s compressor. After this switch is activated, your AC unit will self shut-down. However as the pressure continues to fluctuate between high and low, the AC unit will turn itself on and off repeatedly, causing your air conditioner to short cycle repeatedly.
Unfortunately, this is one of the issues which you might experience with your air conditioning unit which can be difficult to identify. In fact, you will have to contact an air conditioner expert for them to come and verify if this is the cause of your short cycling. If this is the cause, the air conditioner expert will be able to fix this issue, and you must get this fixed as refrigerants can be harmful to humans who don’t know how to handle it. Once this issue is fixed, your AC unit should no longer short cycle.
Summary
In short, 4 main causes can result in air conditioner units short-cycling. So if your air conditioner is shutting itself off after only 5 minutes of running, then short-cycling is probably the cause and you should short-circuit the potential issues we have looked at above.
