AC Breaker: Why Your Air Conditioner Keeps Tripping the Circuit Breaker and How to Reset It

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Your air conditioner may trip the circuit breaker for several reasons, but resetting it is a long, involved process. If you are not a professional technician, it could also be dangerous. Rather than address this issue yourself, a professional technician will be able to fix your issues for you, and if the reason for the trip is much more serious, your technician can wire up a new circuit breaker if needed. The following are very common reasons that an air conditioner keeps tripping the circuit breaker:

The Air Filter Is Dirty.

A giveaway that you have a dirty air filter is if the air conditioning unit trips the circuit breaker when it is hot outside. When your air filter is dirty, it reduces the amount of air that can flow through the system, and this causes your unit to overheat. Overheating is what causes the circuit breaker to trip. In general, an air conditioning system needs to be cleaned every couple of months, but this will depend on where you live and how often you turn the unit on. The answer is to schedule an air conditioning service to have the unit professionally cleaned regularly.

The Condenser Coils Are Dirty.

Condenser coils are located in the outside unit, so vegetation, dust and dirt can build up on these coils. When this occurs, the coils fail to move the heat from inside the house toward the outside unit. This causes short-circuiting and then the unit overheats. Air conditioning service also prevents this from happening.

The Coil Fan Is Broken.

Coil fans blow cool air over the coils so that the inside of the air conditioning unit remains cool. The motors that make this happen are located outside, but if they begin to malfunction, they may cause the air conditioning unit to use more energy. Although this occurs, the condenser fan motor may not receive enough energy from the coil fan, and this trips the breaker.

The Compressor May Have Trouble Starting.

The compressor may be old. A new compressor ordinarily starts up in one second, but if your compressor takes longer than that to start, you may need air conditioning repair or replacement.

The Wires May Be Loose.

The HVAC unit has several wires that keep it running, but these wires become loose over time. When this occurs, they do not have as strong a connection with the unit, and this is one reason that your air conditioner keeps tripping the circuit breaker.

The answer to an air conditioner that keeps tripping the circuit breaker is to contact a professional with Elite Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning. Although you may be able to reset it on your own, this is not the best plan. Contact us at Elite Plumbing, Heating and Air Conditioning today.