How Long Should Aircon Stay Off Between Cycles?

How Long Should Aircon Stay Off Between Cycles? One of the most vulnerable AC components that often catch failure is the AC compressor. It is necessary to find a solution for the issue as early as possible for avoiding any future wear and tear to the AC system.

Here we will discuss the AC compressor’s functioning in Singapore weather and how well it performs with on and off cycles. Also, we’ll know what would be the ideal on/off cycle times in Singapore to ensure optimum aircon performance. It is vital to identify the abnormality for troubleshooting all issues promptly.

So to save the AC unit from trouble, would it be abnormal if the AC compressor remains on for long? In humid conditions, sometimes you can turn on and off the air conditioner compressor. The humid and hot weather wouldn’t keep the compressor on and off for long, and you should know that something isn’t right here.

It would be necessary to get the issue fixed as early as possible. With the below-provided information, you can identify all abnormalities for troubleshooting the issue in the right way. Read on – How Long Should Aircon Stay Off Between Cycles?

Why Aircon Compressor Cycle Should be Turned On and Off?

As the AC functions for cooling down the air, the actual work is done by the compressor. With the compressor, the air is cooled down till it reaches the required temperature. In a humid climate, the AC compressor would need to work hard to maintain the required temperature.

The cooler temperature you set, the harder the AC compressor works for getting cooled down the air. The AC compressor is turned on when it needs to cool air. After the required temperature is attained the AC compressor cycle gets off until the air again gets hotter.

Then it again cycles on and starts cooling air. This happens in a pattern depending on the weather in addition to other factors.

How often should the AC be switched On and Off?

It would be normal for an AC compressor to frequently get switched on and off. Whenever the air is too hot, the air conditioning compressor cycles are used for cooling it down until the required temperature is achieved. The air conditioner’s cycle time is the time required for the compressor to work and cool down room temperature to the ideal temperature on the thermostat.

When you set the thermostat temperature to low compared to room temperature, the compressor stays for a long period. It needs to work for a significant period to cool the whole space. It also increases cycle time for reducing the room temperature.

Thus, when the temperature difference between the aircon thermostat and the room is high, the cycle time will be longer. When there is a decrease in temperature difference, the cycle time lessens as well.

No certain cycle is there for switching on/off the aircon compressor. As it has been mentioned, it would depend on the room temperature with the thermostat temperature difference. Also, this depends on the cooling capacity of the air conditioner, the area that requires cooling.

The aircon unit issue arises when the compressor has abnormal cycling off and on the pattern. This can either happen when the compressor doesn’t switch on at all, or it might frequently turn on and off itself without cooling for long. You can follow these patterns for understanding when something isn’t right with the aircon compressor. When you notice such abnormal compressor cycling, it requires attention.

Some Reasons for Abnormal Air Conditioner Compressor Cycle Time

Here are a few probable reasons due to the abnormal functioning and cycle time of the aircon compressor:

Blocked condenser

When dirt particles block condensers in the AC compressor, the machine doesn’t function in a normal way. It wouldn’t be able to cool down the heated and compressed refrigerant that passes through the condenser.

When putting a load on the compressor, you can make it overwork and it disrupts the standard cycle time.

Dirty Evaporator

Similar to the condenser the evaporator can also get blocked with debris and dirt. It can hamper air drying and also impacts the compressor cooling effects. This makes the compressor work a lot to cool the temperature of the car and it automatically increases cycle time.

Low Refrigerant

When the amount of refrigerant in the compressor reservoir minimizes, it doesn’t function in a normal way. The compressor requires a sufficient amount of refrigerant for normal functioning and cooling the air.

When the refrigerant in the aircon reduces because of leakage or other reasons, the compressor has to work more for cooling down the air. It also increases cycle time. You’ll require professional mechanics for aircon repairing and restoring the level of refrigerant.

Standard Cooling Cycles

For how long the compressor must run in the system of an air conditioning cooling cycle? For conserving the power and providing the aircon unit a break, you can set the thermostat at the most comfortable temperature. For on/off cycles, it is recommended to aim for around 78°F. However, even at the high setting, a day with 100°F temperature forces longer cooling aircon cycles.

In mild weather, when the aircon unit doesn’t face more trouble in meeting the temperature setting, the compressor periodically cycles down. The least cooling cycle should be for around 15 minutes.

It shows how much time the air handler and compressor require for distributing cooling around the home. When shorter cycles are run in the compressor, mainly less than 10 minutes, then it would be short-cycling and this would require attention.

What to do when the Aircon Cycles are abnormally turned Off and On?

As mentioned already, the compressor must cycle according to cooling capacities like the humidity, weather conditioners, and temperature to which it cools the air. All such factors also play a vital role in compressor cycle time.

However, if you’ve found the cycle time to be abnormal and the aircon compressor turns on and off within seconds, you’ll have to contact an expert HVAC contractor. For avoiding further damage, the compressor needs a quick fix.

Conclusion

We can say that no conventional time is there for switching on/off the aircon unit as it would vary depending on how much cool environment you wish to have and how much you want to save on energy costs.

If you’ve discovered that the aircon compressor is not switching on and off properly and the air is hot even after using it for a long time or the compressor doesn’t switch off after the air gets cooled down, then it is time to call an aircon repair specialist.

The standard aircon cycle time got disrupted and the machine requires some attention till it goes back again to its normal pace. It would be a good idea to call an HVAC expert to get fixes for such issues at the earliest.