Short cycling is when your AC turns on and off every few minutes without completing a full cooling cycle, and it wears the system out fast while spiking your bill. The most common causes, from cheapest to most serious, are: a dirty air filter or blocked return choking airflow, a frozen evaporator coil, low refrigerant from a leak, a dirty condenser coil overheating the compressor, a failing capacitor or control board, or a thermostat that is faulty or placed in a bad spot (in direct sun or near a vent). An oversized AC also short cycles by design, it cools the air too fast, shuts off, then restarts moments later. Start by checking and replacing the filter, that fixes a surprising number of cases. If it keeps happening, the constant starts are hard on the compressor, so get it diagnosed before it causes bigger damage. Call LA Heating & Air at (818) 660-1062.
