6 Reasons Why Your Furnace Keeps Shutting Off and How to Fix It

Your furnace keeps your home cozy during the harsh winter months, so it’s annoying when something is off. One routine issue is a furnace that endlessly turns on and turns off over and over. This issue is called short cycling. It strains your heating system and might lead to expensive repairs or even earlier than normal failure.

Short cycling can be caused by for varying reasons. Before you book furnace repair, review the possible causes and how to take care of the issue.

1. Filthy Air Filter

The HVAC filter attracts airborne dust, hair and other debris that could cause problems for furnace. If you don’t get a new filter often enough, it can get clogged and block the airflow. When this happens, a safety mechanism switches off the furnace to avoid overheating. Pull Out the filter, and if it’s dirty, get a new one. From now on, change the filter every 30 to 90 days to stop your furnace from short cycling.

2. Blocked Air Vents

A dirty filter isn’t the only thing that can lower airflow and overheat your furnace. Walk around your residence and check for unopened or blocked air vents. For adequate system balance and performance, keep all registers open, even in empty rooms.

3. Dirty Blower Wheel

The furnace blower has blades that distribute air through the ductwork. If they are covered in dirt, the air won’t move correctly, causing overheating and short cycling. Regularly replacing the filter is the simplest approach to stop a dirty blower wheel. If the blades are already dirty, schedule furnace maintenance to have them cleaned.

4. Faulty Thermostat

Inspect your thermostat next. This is the core of your HVAC system and gives the furnace instructions on what to do. Ensure the thermostat is set to heating mode and auto fan with the desired temperature showing on the screen. Try changing the batteries. Also, check whether the thermostat is in full sunlight or near a heat source that could affect the temperature reading. If you use a smart thermostat, visit the manufacturer’s site for troubleshooting instructions.

5. Soot-Covered Flame Sensor

The flame sensor is responsible for turning off the gas valve when no burner flame on. The sensor can’t sense the flame if it’s covered in soot, so the gas turns off too soon and the furnace shuts down. Leave the adjustment of fixing a faulty flame sensor to a pro like Rob's Albertan Service Experts.

6. Oversized Furnace

When it involves home comfort equipment, larger isn’t always best. A bigger system adds warmth to your house too fast, leading to uncomfortable temperature changes and short cycling. The only way to take care of this problem is to do new furnace installation.

If you try the solutions we went over here and you’re still having problems, it’s time to call in the Experts at Rob's Albertan Service Experts. We’ll take a look at the situation, pinpoint the cause, and do the necessary repair. Our priority is to restore indoor comfort, energy efficiency and reliable furnace performance for the rest of the season. And our work is supported by a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee for a year.* For more info about furnace short cycling, or to schedule HVAC repair, give us a call at 780-800-9047 right away!

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*Not applicable to the Advantage Program. See your signed Advantage Program Agreement for full details and exclusions. 100% Satisfaction Guarantee is subject to certain restrictions and limitations as set forth in the applicable Terms and Conditions.

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