Tripped Circuit Breaker? What Your AC is Telling You
Wouldn’t it be great when something goes wrong in our household, if our appliances could just talk to us and tell us what the heck is going on? Take a tripped circuit breaker, for example. On its own, it’s not that huge of a deal. You go out to your electrical panel and switch the breaker back on, and all is right with the world.
But what if it’s your air conditioner that’s tripping the circuit breaker—and it keeps on doing it? The fact of the matter is, your cooling system should not trip its circuit breaker that often. If this is occurring, then you have a major problem on your hands (we wish we were exaggerating). Fortunately, you have us to turn to for quality air conditioning repairs in Clayton, NC. But in the meantime, we’re happy to share with you a few possible explanations for why this is happening with your system.
What Causes a Tripped Circuit Breaker?
What causes a circuit breaker to trip in the first place? Well, there are two potential overarching reasons this occurs.
- The circuit breaker is bad.
- The appliances connection to said circuit breaker are drawing too many amps.
In the case of your air conditioner, the first problem requires an experienced professional electrician. But as is often the case in these instances, your air conditioner is likely what’s to blame. But okay, you’ve got that figured out—what now?
Why Is My Air Conditioner Drawing Too Many Amps?
One reason this can happen is actually a quite simple fix—there’s a buildup of dirt and debris somewhere—whether it be a clogged air filter or dirt on the outdoor coil.
Your air filter is in place to protect the inside components of your air conditioner form the damage of incoming debris and particulates from the air. However, if it gets too clogged then the fan has to work overtime in order to get the right amount of air into your AC system. Changing the filter may be all that’s necessary to resolve your circuit breaker issue!
The outdoor coil of your air conditioning system is responsible for allowing refrigerant to release heat that has built up. When this coil is too dirty, then the refrigerant cycle and heat exchange process cannot complete, which means the AC system can become overworked. Cleaning your coils is rarely something that the average homeowner or general handyman can do—safely, anyway. Be sure to contact the professionals for this job!
Other Potential Issues
No matter what the reason is for your air conditioning problems, it’s always a good idea to consult with the experts. This way, your AC problem can be detected quickly. If it’s small, then you have nothing to worry about.
If it’s serious, then you might have prevented a full-system breakdown by discovering the issue early. Keep in mind, too, there are a number of other reasons that your AC may be drawing in too many amps and working inefficiently, such as:
- Low Refrigerant
- Motor Issues
- Compressor Damage
If you’re concerned about any aspect of your cooling system, you needn’t look any further than our team to get a quick resolution.
Schedule your AC services with Raleigh Heating & Air today!