When you’re lounging inside on a hot day, the last thing you want to deal with is a tripped circuit breaker that cuts power to your air conditioning unit. Like frozen air conditioner coils and other HVAC issues that commonly occur in the summertime, an AC unit that regularly trips the circuit breaker can present a serious headache. It’s important to know how to anticipate and fix this pesky problem.
What Happens When an Air Conditioner Won’t Play Nice?
While letting your air conditioner trip its circuit breaker might lower your cooling bill, it’s not really an acceptable approach to cost control. This problem typically occurs when the air conditioner is overworked and draws more power than the breaker can handle. Once the breaker trips, it cuts off power to the appliances it controls, including the air conditioning unit. Until you reset the breaker, you won’t be able to use anything that it powers. Under normal circumstances, this can happen from time to time – especially on very hot days.
However, repeated incidents may be evidence of a more serious issue that requires attention from a professional. Since repeatedly tripping your circuit breaker can have serious ramifications for your home’s electrical system as well as your family’s safety, your should address the issue as quickly as possible.
Common Electrical Air Conditioning Problems: Why Your Air Conditioner Trips the Breaker
An air conditioner can trip your home’s circuit breaker for a variety of reasons, including:
- A dirty or clogged filter that restricts air flow and forces the air conditioner to work harder
- Dirty coils that don’t properly circulate refrigerant and create a bottleneck in the cooling mechanism
- A damaged or broken condenser fan that doesn’t circulate air properly through the unit
- A refrigerant leak that prevents cooling fluid from circulating throughout the air conditioner, forcing the system to suck in more energy in an effort to maintain output
Find Quality AC Repair in Auburn AL
You can’t afford to sweat through another humid Alabama night with no AC. If your air conditioning system keeps tripping the breaker, it’s time for an AC troubleshooting visit from the professionals at Watley Heating & Air Conditioning. With proper air conditioning maintenance and some friendly guidance from our team, you can look forward to a stress-free climate control experience. Contact us at your convenience to schedule an appointment.
