We hear Phoenix-area homeowners ask, “Why does my air conditioner keep tripping the breaker at the control panel?” First off, if this keeps happening then don’t turn the circuit back on. The circuit breaker’s job is to keep your home and appliances safe by shutting off the flow of electricity when the current flow gets too high. If it keeps tripping, something needs to be fixed. If the air conditioner is the source of the tripping, it may be overheating. When an air conditioner overheats, it draws more amps (a measurement of electrical current) from the circuit. That may be pushing the circuit past the number of amps it was meant to handle. So the breaker usually trips after the air conditioner has been running for awhile. So now we need to know what’s causing your air conditioner to overheat. 1) Dirty air filter: Dirt on the filter impedes air flow. This causes the AC to run longer to circulate enough cool air to achieve the temperature you want.

This then causes the air conditioner to overheat. Change the filter and see if that helps. 2) Dirty condenser coils: The condenser coils are in your air conditioner’s outside unit. Refrigerant runs through these coils. A fan blows over the coils to dissipate the heat that the refrigerant absorbed in your home. This is done so the refrigerant can flow back into the inside air conditioning unit and absorb more heat from your home’s air. (See how an air conditioner works exactly.) But if the condenser coils are covered in dust, dirt and leaves, then the coils can’t properly dissipate the heat. So the air conditioner has to work harder and longer to cool your home and overheats as a result. In the Phoenix area, it’s easy for air conditioners to get covered in dust after haboobs (dust storms). Learn more about why you need to clean your condenser coils. You could wash the coils off, or you could have a contractor do it professionally as part of a pre-season air conditioner maintenance visit / A/C tune-up.

Spring is the perfect time for one of those! 3) Not enough refrigerant: Without enough refrigerant, the air conditioner has to work longer to cool your home. The air conditioner overheats in the process. You’ll know if you don’t have enough refrigerant if the air your air conditioner puts out isn’t very cold. A contractor will have to add more refrigerant and seal the refrigerant leak.Lab Humor T Shirt 4) Condenser coil fan malfunction: This is the fan in the outside unit. Ice Age CurtainsIf it stops working, it can’t cool down the condenser coils properly. Walmart Shower Curtain WeightsHave a contractor repair the fan. These certainly aren’t all the reasons of what can cause the circuit to trip the breaker. But they are some common ones that you can see.

Try changing the filter and cleaning the coils. If that doesn’t work: Call a professional to repair the air conditioner. Window air conditioners at times just refuse to turn on. In most of the cases, the problem is a minor one and can be taken care of at home without getting a professional help. A little general knowledge about window air conditioners will help you to understand and rectify the associated problems in a better way. So, before you toss your old AC unit or call a repairman, check these five common problem areas and give DIY repairs a try. Check whether the power cord is completely plugged in; sometimes outdoor outlets or older outlets don't secure the plug tightly enough and need to be tended to. Then check the cord to see if there are any visible cuts or breakages on it. If the power cord is cut, safely unplug the unit and take the appropriate measures to fix the broken areas. If your window unit’s button interface is worn and can’t be trusted, you can also consider buying a cheap universal AC remote or replace the worn switch.

If you suspect this is the case, it means the unit is not broken, just that you have no way of communicating what you want the machine to do. A window air conditioner won’t turn on if the fuse of the main power source to the unit has blown. If that is the case, fix it by replacing the fuse wire. Once the fuse has been replaced, check the machine by running it again. If the fuse burns out again, provide a dedicated 120 volt plug for the unit. If the air conditioner draws power from a circuit shared by other appliances, it can’t draw required power supply and will blow the fuse repeatedly. By providing its own high-voltage plug, it can run smoothly with fewer interruptions. NOTE: Because of the power demands of an air conditioning unit, it may trip the safety buttons on certain outlets and the plugs will need to be reset to eventually restore power. Always check this as well. A similar protocol should be followed if you have a circuit breaker. If your AC won't turn on, check to see if the breaker has been tripped.

If so, reset the circuit breaker and start the machine again. If it goes off again, you may need to rewire in order to provide a 120 volt circuit that operates only the AC unit. Check the temperature of the thermostat on your unit. If it the unit is set to "heat," it won't turn on. If it is set properly, try lowering the thermostat slightly to see if it makes a difference. Sometimes the thermostat gets stuck, but you don't know because it appears to be set properly. This is why it is important to make adjustments as you troubleshoot. If adjusting the thermostat doesn't make a difference, you more than likely have an air filter issue. When the filter becomes dry due to dirt accumulation, the thermostat can get stuck and the unit will stall. You can fix the problem by cleaning or replacing the filter. At times, the filter can even get stuck from accumulated debris, and if this happens, the window air machine can’t operate as the evaporator coil freezes. That is why checking the thermostat is such an important troubleshooting step.