What if My AC Keeps Tripping the Circuit Breaker?
Your air conditioner is tripping your circuit breaker, and you’re not sure why. Your air conditioner may be tripping your circuit breaker for a variety of reasons.
1. A Clogged Air Filter
When your air conditioner’s filters are dirty, it forces your machine to work harder to circulate air through the vents. As a result, the air conditioner must operate longer to circulate enough cooling air to achieve your desired temperatures with a filthy filter. In addition, when your air conditioner runs for extended periods, it draws more electricity, causing the breaker to trip. As a result, it will cause your unit to overheat and wear down.
Change the air filter; that’s all there is to it.
2. Contaminated Condenser Coils
These are the coils for the outer unit of your air conditioner. The refrigerant in the inside unit absorbs heat from your air, then is transferred to the external unit to remove the heat.
When your condenser coil is unclean, it stops the heat from being dispersed by your outside unit. As a result, your air conditioner will have to work harder and longer to cool your home, causing it to overheat. Your air conditioner uses more electricity to push the heat out when this occurs, tripping the breaker.
You can try to clean the coils on your own. However, having a professional perform the task will be better and more efficient, ensuring that no device parts are damaged.
3. Coil Fan with a Break
The coils, as previously said, try to discharge heat from the interior device, but they do so with the help of a fan that blows over them. If the fan fails, the condenser coils will be without a source of cooling.
Solution: Hire an air conditioning repair specialist to fix the fan.
4. Inadequate Refrigerant
When your air conditioner is running on low refrigerant, the unit will have to work harder to cool your home, similar to when you have a dirty air filter. It leads to overheating and damage to your air conditioner. When the air blowing out isn’t cold, you’ll know the refrigerant is the problem.
A professional will need to come out and refill your refrigerant as well as seal any leaks.
5. Capacitor Failure
The compressor is started by the capacitor, which must be changed if it has blown out. So if your air conditioner has difficulties starting before your circuit breaker trips, this could be the cause.
Solution: This will also require professional intervention.
6. Aging Parts and Loose Wiring
The wiring inside your air conditioning equipment will start to weaken as it becomes older and wears down over time. It could be the reason for your air conditioner’s circuit breaker tripping.
Solution: Electrical wiring difficulties should only be handled by someone qualified to do so.
7. The Motor has a Short Circuit
Your air conditioner’s electric motors can operate for hours, and if left on for too long, the wire insulation might wear down, resulting in an electrical short. In addition, more electricity flows through the lines than they can handle, causing the breakers to trip.
Solution: To discover the short, you’ll need professional assistance.
Absolute Air offers a wide array of services, including, but not limited to, AC installation, AC repair, heating installation, heating repair, metal fabrication (for all types of ductwork), refrigeration, and gas line installation. Our trained team of technicians can also service and work on equipment brands such as American Standard, Train, Carrier, York, Goodman, Rudd, and Mitsubishi, to name a few. If you have a service request not mentioned here, give us a call.
