Your air conditioner keeps you cool all summer long — until it stops working. If your air conditioner is over-cycling, it isn't working properly and will end up costing you more money on your energy bills each month. When your air conditioner over-cycles, it turns on and off over and over again, meaning your home isn't getting as cool as it should be. This over-cycling can get annoying to hear multiple times a day. If your system is over-cycling, read on for a few things you may be able to try to get it working properly.

Make A Temperature Adjustment

Adjust the temperature in your home to see if the thermostat is set too low. If you have the temperature too low, your system isn't going to be able to keep up and will over-cycle trying to get to the proper temperature. Raise the temperature to see if it helps with the over-cycling. You shouldn't ever set your air conditioner below 70 degrees. Anything lower than this can be difficult for your air conditioner to keep up. 

Change The Air Filter

Your system may be turning on and off again because it can't get enough air in the system. If the air filter is dirty, you need to change it. Remove the old air filter and replace it with a new one. Air filters can be found at your local hardware store or at any store that sells HVAC equipment and parts. Change the air filter every other month in order to prevent this from happening again.

Clean The Air Conditioning Coils

Clean the coils on your air conditioner to be sure they aren't full of debris such as cottonwood. If your coils are too dirty, they can cause a problem with air getting to the unit properly. Spray the coils using a garden hose to remove the debris. If you have a lot of cottonwood trees or other types of trees in your yard, you should spray the unit down at least once per month or so to be sure they remain clean.

If your air conditioner is constantly turning on and off, it's a problem that you need to repair. If you aren't sure how to fix the problem, you should call a professional HVAC repairman to have your system inspected and repaired as needed. An over-cycling air conditioner can end up breaking down your unit, or cost you a lot of money in energy bills. Contact an air conditioning service for more information.