Is your air conditioner short cycling or, in other words, turning itself on and off repeatedly? Then you are probably struggling to keep your home cool on hot days. Worse, your energy bills will increase and the parts in your air conditioning unit will wear out more quickly than usual.

Unless you have accidentally set your air conditioner's timer to turn on and off at random intervals, then it isn't normal for an air conditioner to turn on and off by itself. The following issues could be to blame.

Dirt Could Be to Blame

Dirt can affect two areas of your air conditioner and cause it to turn on and off: the condenser coil and the filter. If you haven't cleaned your air conditioner filter recently, a buildup of dirt in the filter may be causing the evaporator coil to freeze. This could then cause your air conditioner to turn itself off and on.

If you live in a dusty and dirty area, your AC's condenser coils could be filthy with dust and debris. A buildup of dirt on the condenser coils will cause your air conditioner to overheat and shut down.

You Could Have a Refrigerant Leak 

An air conditioner constantly reuses its internal supply of refrigerant to absorb and then cool hot air. This is how air conditioners supply a space with nice cool air. But if this refrigerant leaks out of the system somewhere, your system will turn on and off repeatedly as the pressure level lowers and rises in the compressor.

A top-up of refrigerant won't help in this case. You need an AC technician to locate the leak first, and then seal it. Only then can they top up the refrigerant.

There Could Be an Electrical Issue

Electricity could be the culprit. Air conditioners consist of multiple electrical connections and components. If there is no other obvious cause for the unit's malfunction, then this is a likely explanation. The electrical supply might also be insufficient.

As you check your air conditioner for signs of the cause, look for flashing red lights as they indicate that an internal malfunction has occurred, possibly due to a problem with a circuit board.

You need to diagnose and fix this issue quickly before your air conditioner breaks down completely. Have an HVAC repair service check your air conditioner and come up with a solution. Contact an AC repair service for more information.