What Causes Aircon System To Trip?
If you have an air conditioning system and you are wondering what causes the Aircon system to trip, then you should worry no more as there is a solution for you.
First of all, you must know that when your aircon circuit breaker trips, then it implies that it is using a lot of power compared to what it is rated for.
If the tripping persists for a long time they can be annoying but you must know that is a measure meant to protect you from overcurrent which can cause fire and also damage your equipment.
It is good that you avoid resetting your circuit breaker and you concentrate on finding a solution to your air conditioning. Some of the reasons why your air conditioning might be tripping are:
Shorted motor
The electrical motor of your aircon can run for a long time, thus deteriorating the insulation around the wires. This leads to an electrical short.
In case you have an electrical short, your circuit breaker will trip to prevent damage to your aircon and home.
Bad capacitor
In case you aircon has issues in starting up before your circuit breaker trips, then it will imply that it has a bad capacitor. Usually, the capacitor is the one which is responsible for starting your compressor.
Whenever your compressor has issues in starting up, then it can use a lot of power thus tripping the circuit breaker. However, you must know that your capacitor may wear out with time therefore you must replace it.
Dirty condenser coils
If you ignore the regular preventive maintenance measures against your aircon, with time you will notice that it will not be cooling your house as expected. In such a case, your condenser coil may be dirty.
Normally, the outside of your aircon unit has condenser coils whose main roles are to release any heat which may have accumulated to the outside of your house.
However, since it is usually exposed to the outside environment it can get coated with debris and grime. Once this happens, the transfer of heat will be ruined, thus making your system to work longer and harder so as to cool your house.
This can make your aircon draw a lot of power thus making the circuit breaker to trip.
Refrigerant leaks
In case you have an old air conditioning system that you have never maintained for a long time its coils can corrode thus leading to holes, cracks, and leaking of the refrigerant.
Once the refrigerant levels drop, your aircon will run longer and work harder so as to cool your house. This can make the system use a lot of power thereby tripping the circuit breaker.
Dirty air filter
If your aircon has dirty filters, it will try to work harder so as to circulate air through the vents. In this case, your aircon will be forced to run longer to circulate enough air so that you can get the temperatures you have set.
When your aircon system is forced to run for a longer period it will use a lot of power thus making the circuit breaker to trip. To solve this you will either be required to clean your filter or replace it will a new one.
Bad circuit breaker
Sometimes the issues might not be with your air conditioning but with the circuit breaker. Normally, the circuit breaker protects your home from electrical damage.
However, due to continuous usage, the wires connecting to the circuit breaker may become loose or the circuit breaker may be bad. Some of the signs which will indicate that you have a bad circuit breaker are:
- Frayed wires
- When you smell a burning odor from your circuit breaker
- When the circuit breaker is too hot when you touch it.
If you experience such an issue you should contact your electrical repair expert for assistance.
What causes the Aircon system to trip – Conclusion
Through the above guide, you will notice that many issues that can cause tripping can be avoided through regular maintenance of your aircon system.
Therefore, it is good that you invest at least once or twice a year so that you can avoid the annoying issues of tripping.
