We hear Performance Air conditioning, Electric, & Plumbing ask, ‘Why does my air conditioner keep tripping the breaker at the control panel?’
First off, if this keeps happening then don’t turn the circuit back on.
The circuit breaker’s job is to keep your home and appliances safe by shutting off the flow of electricity when the current
flow gets too high. If it keeps tripping, something needs to be fixed.
Reasons your AC trips the circuit breaker
If the air conditioner is the source of the tripping, it may be overheating. When an air conditioner overheats, it draws more
amps (a measurement of electrical current) from the circuit.
That may be pushing the circuit past the number of amps it was meant to handle. So the breaker usually
trips after the air conditioner has been running for awhile.
So now we need to know what’s causing your air conditioner to overheat.
Common causes include:
1) Dirty air filter: Dirt on the filter impedes air flow. This causes the AC to run longer
to circulate enough cool air to achieve the temperature you want. This then causes the air conditioner to
overheat. Change the filter and see if that helps.
2) Dirty condenser coils: The condenser coils are in your air conditioner’s outside unit.
Refrigerant runs through these coils. A fan blows over the coils to dissipate the heat that the refrigerant
absorbed in your home. This is done so the refrigerant can flow back into the inside air conditioning unit
and absorb more heat from your home’s air.
But if the condenser coils are covered in dust, dirt and leaves, then the coils can’t properly dissipate the heat. So the air conditioner has to work harder and longer to cool your home and overheats as a result.
In the Phoenix area, it’s easy for air conditioners to get covered in dust after haboobs (dust storms).
You could wash the coils off, or you could have a contractor do it professionally as part of a pre-season. Spring is the perfect time for one of those!
3) Not enough refrigerant: Without enough refrigerant, the air conditioner has to work longer to cool your home. The air conditioner overheats in the process. You’ll know if you don’t have enough refrigerant if the air your air conditioner puts out isn’t very cold. A contractor will have to add more refrigerant and seal the refrigerant leak.
4) Condenser coil fan malfunction: This is the fan in the outside unit. If it stops working, it can’t cool down the condenser coils properly.
These certainly aren’t all the reasons of what can cause the circuit to trip the breaker. But they are some common ones that you can see.
Next steps
Try changing the filter and cleaning the coils. If that doesn’t work: Call a professional to repair the air conditioner