If you have ever had your circuit breaker trip while running the air conditioner in your Easton, Maryland, home, you may wonder why this problem occurs. A circuit breaker is a safety switch built into your home’s electrical system. If an appliance or system in your home, such as your HVAC system, experiences an electrical problem, the circuit breaker will trip, or shut off, before the appliance or system experiences major damage or starts a fire. Find out how dirty air filters, low refrigerant, and other problems could be causing your air conditioner to trip your home’s circuit breaker.
Your HVAC System’s Air Filters Are Dirty
The air filters inside your home’s HVAC system are key to keeping your system running smoothly and efficiently. They keep dirt, debris, and pollutants from entering your home. When the air filters are clean, air can flow freely throughout the home, improving your home’s indoor air quality.
However, if the filters have not been cleaned or replaced in a long time, the filters could force the air conditioner to work overtime. If the air conditioner is struggling, the circuit breaker could trip to shut off the system before any damage can occur. Air filters should be replaced or cleaned every month, a task you can do yourself. Be sure that you replace the filter with the right size and insert it into your HVAC system properly.
The Refrigerant Levels Are Low
Your air conditioner has refrigerant inside of it that helps the system to cool air to your home’s desired temperature. If the refrigerant is too low, your system will have to work longer and harder to reach the desired temperature. Anytime your air conditioner is overworked, the circuit breaker will trip to prevent motors from burning out or a fire from starting.
Contact one of our Griffith Energy Services technicians to inspect and properly maintain refrigerant levels in your system. By investing in an air conditioning maintenance agreement with us, you can ensure that your system’s refrigerant fluids will be inspected twice yearly.
The Condenser Coils Are Dirty
The condenser coils on the outside of your home’s air conditioning unit help to direct exhaust away from the motor. If the condenser or coils are dirty or have brush and debris around them, they can become clogged, making your system work harder. Keep your system operating properly by cleaning the area around the condenser. Check on a weekly basis to make sure that leaves, grass, and brush are cleared away from the unit. Keeping your condenser and coils cleaned can help extend the life of your HVAC system.
The Start Capacitor is Not Working Properly
When your air conditioner gets ready to operate, the motor needs power to help it start effectively. Attached to the outside compressor motor is a cylindrical-shaped unit called a start capacitor, the source of the power to help the air conditioner’s motor get started. If the circuit breaker keeps tripping when you try to turn on the air conditioning system, or if it struggles to turn on and then turns back off, the start capacitor may be failing.
If this problem continues, the motor can burn out, and you can be looking at costly repairs. If you hear a clicking in the HVAC housing area while you are trying to start your air conditioner, stop the air conditioner from running immediately and call one of our Griffith Energy Services HVAC technicians.
Keep in mind, however, that a circuit breaker that keeps tripping doesn’t necessarily mean that the problem involves only your home’s HVAC system. You may have other electrical issues such as bad electrical connections or other problems that could also be interfering with the effective operation of your home’s electrical systems as well as your home’s HVAC system. Call a professional electrician or electrical services company in the Easton, Maryland, region to help you isolate and correct the problems.
For quality air conditioning repairs and servicing, contact the air conditioning professionals at Griffith Energy Services. Call us at 888-474-3391 for prompt, reliable service for all of your home comfort needs.
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