Home / AC repair / Breaker tripping

AC breaker keeps tripping?

Reset it once. If it trips again, leave it off & give us a call. A breaker that trips twice is telling you something.

What to notice before you call

Which breaker. The outdoor unit is usually a double breaker, 30 to 60 amps. The air handler is a separate one. Tell us which, it narrows it down.
Is the outdoor unit humming with the fan not turning? Turn it off. That's a stalled motor or a capacitor pulling the breaker down.
Any burnt smell at the panel or the unit. Leave it off either way.
Did it trip right at startup or after running a while? Startup is usually electrical. After a while is usually heat.

What it usually is

Compressor pulling too many amps

A compressor that's wearing out, or one that's shorted to ground, draws more than the breaker allows. We meter it at the unit & know in minutes.

Fan motor or capacitor

A seized fan motor or a dead capacitor leaves the compressor fighting heat it can't get rid of, & the breaker is the only thing stopping it. Quick fix, & we won't charge you $500 for a $75 part.

Burnt wire or contactor

Florida humidity & salt eat connections. A loose, corroded wire at the contactor heats up & trips the breaker. We replace the part & clean up the connection.

The breaker itself

Breakers get weak with age, & some older panels are known for it. If the unit meters fine, we'll tell you it's the panel & that you need an electrician, not us.

What it costs to find out

Residential$95$130 after hours

Commercial$125$160 after hours

Regular hours are Mon to Fri, 7am to 5pm. If it turns out to be the panel & not the AC, the diagnostic is all you pay us & you'll have the amp readings to hand your electrician.

From the gallery of gross

A capacitor like this pulls the breaker down.

See the gallery of gross

Storm season tip. A surge protector at the outdoor unit protects the compressor & control boards from power spikes. Homes & businesses.

Questions people ask

No. The breaker is sized to the wire. A bigger one lets the wire overheat before it trips, which is how fires start. The unit's nameplate says the max, & that's the max.

We meter the amps at the unit. If the compressor & motors are pulling what the nameplate says, it's the panel & you need an electrician. If they're over, it's the AC & we fix it.

Not usually. A capacitor or a contactor is a repair. A grounded compressor on a 14 year old unit is where we put a replacement number next to the repair so you can compare.

Think comfort. Think Aphex.