A/C keeps kicking breaker??

[Barbarian]

Does anyone have a clue why my a/c unit keeps tripping my breaker? It happens at least twice a day. I was told to check for loose wires on the outside unit. I did that, wiggled a couple, and it worked great for 24 hours, but tripped at least 3 times yesterday. Anyone ever have this problem or a clue what could be the cause? Everything works great except for that and the unit is about 9 years old. Thanks.

[Bobby]

Replace the breaker. They get weaker the more they trip.

[essayons75]

This has been happening in my 2004 RV, very frustrating. I have quit camping in the summer, scared I will come back to the camper and find my dogs baked.

[Super Dave]

I had a window unit that did that, I replace the breaker, it stopped for awhile and then started again. Technician came out and said the compressor was drawing excessive amps and needed to be changed. It was cheaper to replace the unit. Did that and then Ike promptly destroyed the unit.

[Fishin Tails]

Compressor may be close to going out. Breaker is doing its job like it is supposed to. You have mechanical issues somewhere.

[24Buds]

get an amp clamp. see what she pulls. Bet Fishin Tails is right.

[HydraSports]

Ditto on the compressor probably going bad. Have a tech check it out. There is a guy who hangs out here that is in that business....Can't remember his handle, but a big guy with a hat. Don't know if he would come to Spring though.

[rio frio]

mine did it last month..replaced the breaker and everythings good......go the cheap route before the a/c man starts talking major$$$$(compressor etc.)...rio

[nightgigger]

This might also be a good time to get a small window unit, so when the AC does goes out you can "camp" in one room untill it's fixed. That and a generator will round out a good Hurricane kit.

[Barbarian]

Thanks guys.
I had heard it could be the compressor going out, but was hoping for some different options. I did have an a/c guy tell me to check for loose wires on the unit first. I did that on Tuesday and 2/3 days that breaker hasn't tripped. A couple of wires did seem suspect, but I was working in the dark by flashlight. It hadn't gone a single day without tripping in 2 weeks, so 2/3 could be evidence a loose wire is the culprit. This weekend when I have daylight and time, I'm going to check the wires again and fix anything suspicious. I have 2 a/c units at my house so I'll swap the breakers also. That should at least tell me if it is a breaker issue. If neither of those solves the problem, I'll have to call somebody to come check the compressor. I'm assuming from what a couple of you mentioned, that if they check the amperage being pulled, they should be able to isolate the problem to the compressor. Does that sound accurate? The good thing about having 2 units, we can always sleep on the cool side of the house if we have too. Thanks again.

[Fishin Tails]

That sounds pretty good. It is amazing what a loose wire can do. It can start arcing and trip the breaker. Make sure all of the juctions and connections are tight, including the ground. The ground is important and serves a purpose. It is very possible that you just have loose connections. If so you just savedyourself several hundred $'s. Good luck and be safe.

[FishinMick]

I had the same problem with the breaker tripping once and a while. It would trip 3 times one week and none the next. It did it a few days ago.

I did have a A/C guy come out and check my a/c unit and he checked it out and said it was only pulling 16 ams like its suppose to.

I think its a weak breaker and Im hoping to finish the summer out untill I change it.

[Barbarian]

Last week was great, but this weekend it reverted to tripping the breaker 2-3 times per night. I was supposed to swap breakers, but never did because it seemed to stop. I will try and swap breakers this afternoon and see what happens. It may sound crazy and not sure if it was just coincidence, but it seems to do worse when it is hotter outside.

[Super Dave]

Last week was great, but this weekend it reverted to tripping the breaker 2-3 times per night. I was supposed to swap breakers, but never did because it seemed to stop. I will try and swap breakers this afternoon and see what happens. It may sound crazy and not sure if it was just coincidence, but it seems to do worse when it is hotter outside.
I assume you already know that you are dealing with 220v and it can kill you. Please be careful dealing with breakers and wiggling wires.

[Fishin Tails]

yessir it will trip more often when hot. Your unit is under a much greater load under the stress of heat and your breaker trips when it heats up inside. Thats how on OCPD ( over current protection device ) works. Hope you get it fixed. What a frustration when you are continually faced with the same thing over and over

[dwilliams35]

Could also just be a capacitor on the compressor getting weak: the startup amperage will go up as a result: if it goes past what the breaker will handle, it'll trip even if the compressor itself isn't truly dead: That'll be harder to find than just checking compressor amps, as it's only for a second or two on startup. If that's the case, a $15-20 cap can get you another year or more out of a compressor...

[Super Dave]

Could also just be a capacitor on the compressor getting weak: the startup amperage will go up as a result: if it goes past what the breaker will handle, it'll trip even if the compressor itself isn't truly dead: That'll be harder to find than just checking compressor amps, as it's only for a second or two on startup. If that's the case, a $15-20 cap can get you another year or more out of a compressor...
good call. I was just about to make that point. This past week we had an issue with my 18 yr old ac bogging down a generator and the tech installed a new starter kit on the compressor and problem went away.

[homerun]

big D capaciter easy to change did myself .make sure breaker is off and even disconnect from outside. THE H-MAN:an6:

[Barbarian]

Alright, finally got around to swapping breakers today. Should've done it last week. It only took me about 2 minutes. It took about 6 hours, but the breaker finally tripped. The problem followed the a/c unit so it definitely is not the breaker. Hopefully this weekend, I can find the time to swap or change the capacitor. I'll let tya'll know.

[FishinFoolFaron]

Take a look at the label on the condenser fan motor. If it discolored or shrunken, you have a fan motor problem. It may seem to run okay while you are watching, but after a while may slow down, heat up and quit. The compressor then will continue to run until it goes out on internal overload, resets, goes out, resets, etc. etc. until it finally trips the breaker. If you still need help, pm me.

[Barbarian]

Take a look at the label on the condenser fan motor. If it discolored or shrunken, you have a fan motor problem. It may seem to run okay while you are watching, but after a while may slow down, heat up and quit. The compressor then will continue to run until it goes out on internal overload, resets, goes out, resets, etc. etc. until it finally trips the breaker. If you still need help, pm me.

Thanks. I'm assuming the discoloration will mean it is getting hot. I'll check it out and greenie to you for the tip.

[Barbarian]

Problem fixed!!!!! i hope

Changed the capacitor and everything seems to be working perfect - at least for the last 24 hours. Thanks to all and hopefully this is my last post on this thread.

[rideorfish]

Also, consider replacing capacitor!!

[rideorfish]

Sorry, I diden't see that last post--- good luck