If your air conditioner trips the circuit breaker once in a blue moon, there probably isn’t a huge problem going on. When an appliance draws too many amps, the circuit breaker trips to prevent damage. However, if your air conditioner kicks on and it trips the circuit breaker often, even as sparsely as a few times per season, you have a problem.
Tripping the circuit breaker means either one of two problems – a problem with your circuit breaker or a problem with your air conditioner. If more than just your air conditioner is tripping the breaker, you will want to call an electrician out to handle any circuit breaker issues.
However, if you notice that it is specifically your air conditioner, you may worry that you need to get a new air conditioner. The good news is that increased amp usage usually isn’t difficult to fix. In fact, it is caused more often than not by a completely normal problem: debris.
Over time, your air conditioner can collect a lot of random debris on the inside. Leaves, sticks, dirt, grass – anything that can float on the breeze can end up inside your air conditioner. When this happens, it will affect its efficiency at cooling your home and dispersing heat. This means that your air conditioner needs to work harder and needs more amps to run. This, in return, can trip your circuit breaker if that becomes too much.
However, just because dirt and debris may be the cause doesn’t mean you can solve this yourself. Cleaning your air conditioner is one of those tasks that is usually done with regular yearly maintenance by your air conditioner repair service. They can make sure that all debris is cleared away and the coils inside the air conditioner that release heat are kept clean as well.
As a homeowner, you can address the underlying debris issue. One of the best options is to put something over the top to prevent debris from ending up inside. However, you need to remove the cover after the leaves have fallen to make sure your air conditioner can efficiently drain and dry to prevent rust issues.
Contact our team at M&M Mechanical, Inc. today for a professional opinion on your air conditioner.
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