fbpx

Is Your AC Unit Tripping Your Circuit Breaker?

The last thing anyone wants or needs on a hot summer day is to have their AC repeatedly tripping the circuit breaker and turning it off. Sometimes there’s an easy solution, but other times you’ll need to call in a professional to help figure out what’s going wrong. One thing’s for sure: If you’re constantly resetting the breaker, you need to take action to prevent expensive and potentially dangerous events such as a fire from electricity overloads.

Wenbrooke Services provides reliable, convenient, and friendly residential electrical services for Frederick, MD homeowners, including replacing broken circuit breakers and upgrading or replacing breaker boxes.

Reasons Why Your Air Conditioner is Tripping the Circuit Breaker

Here’s a list of possible causes of your air conditioner’s circuit breaker tripping:

  • Power surges, often due to a thunderstorm
  • Clogged air filter
  • Dirty condenser coil
  • Fan motor malfunction
  • Loose wires
  • Short or electrical component failure
  • Refrigerant leaks
  • Frozen evaporator coil
  • Compressor failure

The first two issues you can usually resolve on your own. The others should only be resolved by a professional unless you’re trained to work with high-voltage electricity.

How to Fix the AC Tripping the Circuit Breaker

You can avoid most of the problems listed above with regular AC preventive maintenance. If your AC unit hasn’t had a tune-up in a while, here’s how each issue is usually addressed:

  • Dirty condenser coils generally require a simple coil cleaning.
  • Loose wires, shorts, or electrical component failures can easily be fixed by a professional electrician.
  • Fan motor malfunctions can be caused by grime slowing down the fan and putting a strain on the motor. A good cleaning may be enough, but sometimes the motor itself needs to be replaced.
  • Frozen evaporator coils draw excess power and can trip the circuit breaker. Call in a qualified service provider as soon as possible and turn the unit off, because keeping the AC running can cause the compressor to fail.
  • Refrigerant leaks can be caused by several problems. If a technician cannot repair the leak itself, they may need to replace the coil, refrigerant lines, or both.
  • Compressor failures can result from resetting the circuit breaker multiple times, which creates a strain on the system. This is a serious issue that may require a system replacement.

What To Do If Your Air Conditioner Keeps Tripping the Circuit Breaker

If your AC circuit breaker keeps tripping, turn the unit off and keep it off until a professional can look at it. If there’s been a recent storm that you think may have caused the problem, wait 30 minutes and then turn the breaker back on. The same goes for a dirty filter, which you can either clean or replace. If everything then continues to work as usual after taking either one of these steps, that was probably the cause. If the breaker trips again, or the AC unit won’t turn back on, have the problem diagnosed and repaired by a professional.

Why Choose Wenbrooke Services for Circuit Breaker Repairs

Whenever you’re dealing with electrical wiring in your Frederick, MD home, it’s best to work with a trained technician who knows how to diagnose and repair these issues.

Wenbrooke Services offers a full range of HVAC services, including circuit breaker repairs and electrical panel upgrades. Our family-owned and -operated company is fully licensed and insured and ready to get started on fixing any of your HVAC-related problems. To learn more or to schedule an appointment, contact us online today or call us at 240-394-1500.