Why Won't You Stay On? 3 Signs Your Heater Might Be Short-Cycling
There's nothing worse than turning your heater on only to have it shut off almost instantly. Unfortunately, short cycling can be a regular occurrence when there's a problem with your heater. In fact, short cycling is a common way for furnaces to warn that they need assistance. If your heater is short cycling – turning on and off repeatedly – you need to have it tended to as quickly as possible. If you're not sure whether your heater is short cycling, or not, here are three signs you should be looking for.
Your Heater Clicks and Clicks but Never Turns On
If you've been listening to your heater click and click for several minutes at a time, without actually turning on, your flame sensor rod is probably dirty. The flame sensor rod is designed to shut down the gas supply to your heater if it doesn't detect an active flame in the pilot. Unfortunately, if the sensor rod is dirty, it can't tell whether there's a flame or not. When that happens, the flame sensor rod shuts off the gas, which is why you hear your heater clicking and clicking, but never turning on. If that's happening, you need to have your furnace cleaned.
Your Heater Heats Up and Then Shuts Off
When your heater is working properly, it will heat your home to the required temperature and then shut off. Once the temperature dips again, the heater will turn on again. If you've noticed that the heater shuts off as soon as you feel hot air through the vents, you've probably got a problem with your heat exchanger. The heat exchanger in your heater is responsible for heating the air before it flows through to your home. Unfortunately, once the heat exchanger goes out, it will overheat and shut down. If you've got a problem with the heat exchanger, you should have it repaired or replaced immediately.
Your Heater Takes Other Appliances With It
If your heater has gotten in the habit of shutting off and taking other appliances with it, you may be looking at an electrical problem. Short circuiting can cause your heater to shut off. When that happens, other appliances, outlets, or lights on that circuit will shut off at the same time. If this is occurring in your home, you need to have your heater inspected by a furnace repair service as soon as possible. Without proper care, you could be facing a potential electrical hazard.
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