How Long Should A Furnace Run During A Typical Heating Cycle?

Furnaces have been one of the best and most trusted HVAC equipment for a long time. They can easily last north of 10 years if well maintained and shouldn’t struggle to heat your house to any desired temperature. If you have a furnace, you may have noticed the heat cycles your furnace has.

A cycle lasts about 15 minutes, and under normal conditions, that is, with proper insulation, moderately cool temperatures, and good condition of the furnaces itself, you would notice 2-3 heat cycles in an hour. However, these numbers vary greatly depending on a couple of other factors.
We have listed a set of problems that are known for interfering with your furnaces heat cycles

1. Excess heating capacity

If the heating produced by your furnace goes unused for certain amounts of time, it can cause problems such as overheating, which can cause your furnace to shut down prematurely. However, the temperature in your room remains low. The furnaces turn on again to compensate for that. This continuous cycle can indicate a more serious problem, and you must not ignore it.

2. Dirty or clogged air filters

If your furnace’s air filters are clogged, it will hinder the flow of the air supply. Reduced air supply to your furnace’s heat exchanger can cause it to overheat since it depends on a constant flow air supply to regulate its temperature. Furnace replacement Everett WA can get your air filters cleaned/replaced without any hassle.

3. Improper and inefficient duct design

If your furnace’s ductwork has leaks or is improperly designed, they will not let air from your furnace flow through the ducts and into your room. It will make your furnace work harder to bring your room’s temperature to the desired point.

The furnace’s exertion will cause overheating, due to which it will turn off to avoid heat damage. Therefore your heat cycles are disrupted, and you notice improper duration of cycles.

4. Poor thermostat

Thermostats tell you how much heating is required to bring the temperature to the desired point. If a problem occurs with your thermostat, it will not relay this information to your furnace, and the furnace will have no clue of the heating durations. It will cause erratic heating cycles due to incorrect temperature detection by the malfunctioning thermostat.

5. Size differences

Incorrect furnace size or capacity can also affect your furnace’s heating cycles. The wrong size furnace will either heat your room faster or slower than expected, thus putting more pressure on the furnace’s internal components. It will cause irregular heat cycles. Have the technicians check for your next furnace capacity.

6. Problems with the heat exchanger

The heat exchanger of your furnaces is responsible for heating the incoming air. The heat from the flames in the combustion chamber heats the air. It passes through the ducts and enters into your rooms.

If this heat exchanger is damaged or malfunctioning in any other way, it won’t heat the air as much. It causes the furnace to run for a longer duration and, of course, irregular heat cycles.

Climate Pro has been providing professional HVAC services since 2004. We believe in providing the special care and attention that your heating or cooling system deserves so that you rest easy throughout the year. Call us at (425) 787-5804 today for an unmatched level of service.