Why Does My AC Keep Tripping the Circuit Breaker?

Does your air conditioner keep on tripping the circuit breaker panel? We present 6 possible reasons why this keeps on happening — and the simple and easy solutions that you can try to fix the problem.

AC Breaker Keeps Tripping: 6 Possible Reasons to Watch out For

1. The AC’s air filter is full of dirt - A dirty air filter can cause the AC blower to work double time, working longer and harder just to give proper air circulation through the filter. As a result, this causes the blower to draw in more electricity and trip the breaker. To fix this problem, clean or change the dirty air filter right away.

2. The AC’s external unit is dirty - Your air conditioner system is made up of two main units: the inside unit and the outside unit. The inside unit is responsible for absorbing heat from your space’s air by using the refrigerant. The refrigerant works by distributing this air into the outside unit to disperse and release the heat. Once the outside unit becomes filthy, it begins to have a hard time dispersing heat well because dirt in itself is an insulator. This causes the air conditioner to run longer and harder just to keep dispersing heat outside, resulting in breaker trips because of too much current being drawn in. Your best bet to solve this problem is to hire a professional air conditioning expert to perform a thorough and proper clean on the unit.

3. The circuit breaker may be faulty - If your AC system is perfectly clean and functioning, then the fault may be from the circuit breaker itself. You can check this by inspecting the wires connected to the breaker or the entire panel itself. Luckily, fixing or replacing the circuit breaker is an inexpensive way to solve this problem. Simply have a professional technician or an air conditioning expert to tighten the wires in the system or replace the AC circuit breaker altogether.

4. The motor has suffered an electrical short - Electric motors in an air conditioner system function by running for the entire duration that an air conditioner is turned on, causing it to take quite a beating on an everyday basis. If these motors start running for far too long, they can turn hot and cause an electrical short. A short can potentially cause wires to overheat, melt and catch fire, resulting in the circuit breaker tripping altogether. Before this even happens, refrain from using the AC until you consult with an AC repair technician to find the source of the short.

5. The compressor is acting up - The compressor is the heart of any air conditioner system. It’s responsible for transferring heat in the unit and eliminating humidity in the process. But when the compressor starts aging, it experiences trouble in starting and draws in more electricity. This issue, along with other hard starting problems, causes the breaker to suddenly trip. To prevent this from happening, get in touch with an air conditioner technician and have a hard start kit installed in the unit. This is a capacitor that provides an extra electrical current to the compressor for better performance.

6. The compressor is grounded - A grounded compressor is the result of a broken electrical winding inside the compressor. This causes a direct short to ground that ignites the oil and leads to a total burnout. Because of this, the circuit breaker suddenly trips due to the sudden current surge. If this problem happens to your AC system and AC circuit breaker, contact an air conditioner technician right away to replace the compressor, clean the AC’s refrigerant lines and replace the breaker for AC.

Keeping Your Air Conditioning System in Perfect Condition

Once you start experiencing any of these signs, it’s time to call a professional aircon servicing company right away. For fast, easy and convenient aircon maintenance, repair and check-ups, give us a call here at Luce Aircon. Contact bumbumu today for a free consultation and to schedule an appointment!