Everyone wants to stay cool and comfortable during these hot summer days. When you’re running your air conditioning and it keeps tripping your circuit breaker, not only is your family’s comfort at stake, but this could be a sign of a serious problem with your unit.

6 Reasons Your Air Conditioner is Tripping Your Circuit Breaker

When in doubt, call in the professionals to take a look at your HVAC system, especially if you reset the unit and it trips the circuit breaker again. Only try to reset the unit once! If it keeps tripping, this is a sure sign that something is malfunctioning with your unit.

These are a few of the most common reasons your air conditioner is tripping your circuit breaker:

1. The air filter is dirty. We’ve mentioned before that it’s vital to replace the air filter on a regular basis. A dirty filter makes your unit work much harder, struggling to pull in air and using far more electricity than it should. Which, in turn, could lead to tripping the circuit breaker.
2. The condenser coils need to be cleaned. Located in the outside unit, the condenser coils are designed to release heat from the inside of your home to the outside. When they’re dirty, they can’t function the way they should, and once again, your system has to work that much harder to cool the air in your home.
3. Low refrigerant caused by a leak. If there’s not enough refrigerant in the system, you guessed it – your unit is getting overworked. Low refrigerant is often caused by a leak, which needs to be fixed by a professional.
4. The fan is malfunctioning. If the fan in the condensing unit outside isn’t working as it should, your A/C can overheat. Again, you’ll need to call in a professional heating and cooling company to repair a broken fan.
5. The capacitor and/or compressor are old or weak. The capacitor is responsible for starting your system, and when it’s gets old or goes bad, it starts pulling too much electricity and trips the breaker. Likewise, when the compressor in the outdoor unit gets weak, it will have trouble starting and once again use too much electricity to function as it should.
6. There’s an issue with the wiring or other components. Changes in the weather cause wires to expand and contract, which may lead to loose connections inside the air conditioner. Or, other key components in the system may be getting worn out. Remember, the average lifespan of an air conditioner is around 10 to 15 years, depending on your location and how well you’ve maintained your system.

Need help troubleshooting issues with your air conditioning unit? The team at Efficient Heating and Cooling is ready to help! If you’re in the greater Cleveland area, contact our team today! Or, give us a call at 216-663-6462.