If your air conditioner turns off due to a tripped circuit breaker, your immediate response is likely to flip the breaker back on. If the breaker trips again right away, you may wonder what to do. It's best to leave the breaker off if it keeps tripping because there could be an electrical problem somewhere. Here's when to suspect your AC has a problem with the electrical system and what a repair technician might do to help.
Signs Of An Electrical Problem In Your AC
When your air conditioner has electrical problems, the unit might trip the circuit breaker every time it comes on. The AC could also turn on and then not turn off, or it could never turn on to start with. Your AC might also make unusual noises, such as a humming sound, and if there's wiring involved, you might smell burning plastic.
What Causes Electrical Problems
An electrical problem can develop if the air conditioner develops a short in the wiring or in a part. An electronic part could also go bad, such as the capacitor that's needed to start the blower motor when the AC kicks on. If you notice the trouble right after a storm, a power surge from lightning could be to blame.
How To Repair Electrical Problems In Your AC
If you think your AC has an electrical issue, call an air conditioning repair service right away. Electricity is dangerous to work with, and you might get a bad shock, harm the air conditioning equipment, or even put your home at risk of a fire by attempting DIY electrical repairs.
The first step is to identify the problem. The repair technician can do that by looking at wiring and parts for signs of electrical damage. The technician will probably use a meter to measure the voltage in parts like the capacitor and transformer to see if they're bad.
Wiring that's loose can be tightened, but if wiring is bad, it may need to be replaced. A bad capacitor can also be replaced. The capacitor is what gives a motor a boost so it turns on when the thermostat triggers it. Your AC probably has multiple capacitors since there are motors in both the air handler and condenser.
Another part that could go bad is the transformer. When it does, it can be taken out and replaced with a new one. The transformer is responsible for adjusting the electricity as it enters the AC so the controls have the right amount to function properly, so if the transformer is bad, the controls of the air conditioner may not work until the transformer is replaced.
Share17 December 2020
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