You rely on your air conditioner to keep your home cool and comfortable during the hot summer months, and it can be incredibly frustrating if the system suddenly stops working. The air conditioner tripping the circuit breaker is a common problem we observe in Roseville throughout the summer months. C & C Heating & Air Conditioning will explore why this occurs, and what you can do when this happens in your home.
Why Does a Circuit Breaker Trip?
Circuit breakers trip for a variety of reasons and knowing these reasons will lead to a quicker fix and help you avoid costly repairs:
- Overload-when too many devices or appliances are connected to the same circuit and draw more current than it can handle.
- Ground Fault – When a hot wire comes into contact with a grounded surface, causing a short circuit.
- Arc Fault – when damaged or loose wiring causes an arc or a spark-like phenomenon that generates heat.
- Breaker Issues-when the breaker is old, worn out or faulty, it can lead to unnecessary trips or failures, requiring an extra reset.
- Environmental Factors – when there is a high level of humidity or water around the circuit breaker, a short circuit or ground fault may occur.
These issues are all concerning and investigating their underlying cause will help you avoid further damage and prevent safety hazards.
AC Unit Trips Circuit Breaker: What To Do
When your AC trips the circuit breaker, follow the following instructions to reset the air conditioning system to attempt to prevent any following instances.
- Turn the system off at the thermostat.
- Locate the electrical panel panel and flip the tripped AC circuit breaker off.
- Flip the AC circuit breaker back on.
- Wait 30 minutes before turning on the air conditioner thermostat, allowing the system to cool.
- Turn the air conditioning and let it run.
If following these steps did not stop the air conditioner from tripping the circuit breaker, you can also try doing one of the following steps before calling an AC tech.
Clean or Replace the Dirty Air Filter
This issue is the easiest one to fix as all you need to do is replace the air filter. When the air filter is dirty and clogged, it reduces the amount of air that can flow through it. This causes the AC blower fan inside the home to work much harder to draw air into the system. At times, this can result in the blower fan drawing more power than the circuit can handle and tripping the breaker.
Clean Dirty Condenser Coils
If you missed out on your annual AC maintenance service, chances are that your AC unit hasn’t been cleaned which can stop it from working properly. As a result, dirt can start to collect on the condenser coils in the outdoor compressor unit. All that dirt acts as wire insulation which prevents the compressor from releasing the heat it absorbed from inside the building.
This excess dirt interferes with the heat transfer process and causes the system to work overtime to keep the home cool. When this happens, it can sometimes cause the compressor to draw more power and trip the breaker.
To fix this problem, you’ll need to have an AC technician clean the condenser coils. You can also easily avoid this issue by making sure to have your system professionally maintained every spring.
Check the Circuit Breaker Connection
The issue might not be related to your AC system at all; instead, it may be caused by a problem with the circuit breaker itself. If the wiring in the circuit breaker becomes loose or the breaker itself fails, it can cause it to constantly trip every time power flows through the circuit. This is another relatively easy fix, but something you’ll need to have a licensed electrician do as you should never attempt to do any work on your electrical panel yourself.
Check for Wiring Issues
Over time, the insulation around the wires inside the compressor or the blower fan can degrade. When this happens, it can cause a short where the electricity jumps between wires instead of following its intended path. A short causes a sudden surge of electricity in the circuit, which will instantly trip the breaker.
Most commonly, this issue occurs as a result of the AC compressor overheating for some reason and melting the wiring. If the compressor motor is short-circuiting, the only option is to have the motor replaced.
Short-circuiting can also occur if the wiring becomes loose. This is another reason annual AC maintenance is essential as the technician will check to make sure all of the wires and connections are tight and in good condition.
Worn-Out Compressor Fan Motor
The fan motor in the AC compressor typically wears out long before the rest of the unit. When the motor is worn out or not working properly, even if it’s not short-circuiting, it can cause the unit to draw too much power. The solution to this problem is to replace the fan motor.
Try a Hard Start Kit
As your compressor unit ages, it can sometimes have more difficulties starting up properly. Known as hard starting, this issue often causes the compressor to draw additional electricity in an attempt to start. Depending on the age and condition of your compressor, you may be able to have an HVAC technician install a hard start kit.
This is a type of stand-alone capacitor that provides a small electrical boost to help the compressor start. If your compressor is more than 15 years old or in poor condition, it is usually better to simply replace it with a new unit since it will likely soon fail anyway.
Grounded AC Compressor
A grounded compressor means that the metal windings inside the compressor motor have broken and come loose. When this happens, the metal can come into contact with the side of the unit and cause a ground fault.
A ground fault causes a spark that usually ignites the oil inside the unit and causes the motor to burn out. Unfortunately, this problem is fatal and means you will need to replace the compressor. An HVAC technician will also need to clean out the refrigerant lines as this problem can allow debris to get inside the lines and potentially ruin the evaporator coil and other AC components.
Call C & C Heating & Air Today!
If your AC keeps tripping the circuit breaker, the skilled technicians at C & C Heating & Air Conditioning can detect what is causing the problem and how best to fix it. We have been serving the Greater Detroit Metro area with our heating and air conditioning expertise for nearly 75 years. No air conditioning repair is a mystery to us!
If the issue can’t be fixed, we’ll help you choose a new AC unit and get it installed as soon as possible. We can also take care of your annual heating and cooling maintenance so your existing equipment continues to function efficiently and effectively. Read our 5 Star Reviews!
Contact C & C Heating & Air Conditioning today to schedule a consultation with one of our HVAC installation and service technicians.
