Air Conditioners And Circuit Breakers: What You Need To Know

If you have an electric air conditioning unit, it is tied into your electrical panel and has its own circuit breaker. When an air conditioner is first installed, the air conditioning installation company ensures that your air conditioner unit is compatible with the electrical panel and circuit you have. As your unit begins to age, you may begin to develop problems with your air conditioner and circuit breaker. This can leave you with many questions. Here are a few frequently asked questions that you may have about your air conditioner and circuit breaker.

Why Would an Air Conditioner Keep Popping the Circuit Breaker?

There are a number of reasons why an air conditioning unit would pop a circuit on your electrical panel. If your unit is brand new, the unit may need more electricity than the panel or circuit breaker can provide. It also may have been improperly installed. If your unit is not brand new, and you have had no problems with the breaker in the past, there are a number of other reasons why they breaker may pop. Those include:

• An air filter that needs to be replaced
• A compressor that is failing
• A motor that is beginning to short out
• An outside unit that needs to be cleaned
• A problem with the circuit breaker or electric panel

How Do You Know if Your Air Conditioner is Popping the Circuit Breaker?

If a circuit on your electrical panel pops, the items connected to that particular breaker will lose electricity. If this happens to a breaker that controls a part of your home, you may lose power to just one or two rooms. But if it happens to your air conditioner, your air conditioner will lose power. If you notice your air conditioner is not running, it is always recommended that you check to ensure the air conditioner is connected to the power source and the breaker has not popped before investigating any further.

Can't You Just Pop the Circuit Back Into Place and Keep Running Your Air Conditioner?

If your air conditioner pops a circuit one time, it is nothing to worry about. There may have been a sudden energy surge or spike that caused the breaker to pop. However, if it happens repeatedly, you should not continue to run your air conditioning unit. You could damage your air conditioner, or worse, cause an electrical fire.

If the circuit breaker connected to your air conditioning unit pops repeatedly, you should call in a professional air conditioning repair company. They can examine the breaker and the air conditioner and determine what the problem is. After the problem is diagnosed, it can be repaired, allowing you to safely and efficiently run your air conditioning unit this summer.

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