central air problem?
our central air trips the circuit breaker when the house reaches the proper temp and shuts off. I had the breaker changed from a 20 amp to a 30. They said the condenser is fine, plenty of freon. They cleaned it and checked for problems could not find any. They said we were probably getting energy surges that would trip the breaker. It happens only when the thermostat shuts off so I could leave the house really cold but I need suggestions for things to suggest they check.
Update:the unit itself states it should have 20-35 amp, it was running on 19 amps at 10am before it got hot. It is a 3 ton unit with 10 gauge wire so the 30 amp is the one it should have had all along. It was a heating and cooling specialist that made the call to change to 30 amp.
Comments
I had a similar problem years ago and it was the compressor was siezing up causing the breaker to trip. Also is your line a 30 amp line, if not put the 20 amp breaker back in ASAP otherwise you are looking at a possible fire.
Sounds like an electrical issue. You might be better off calling an electrician than an heating/cooling company. You might need a time-delay installed if one is not incorporated in your thermostat. A 30 amp breaker is probably closer to being correct than a 20 amp. It is strange that the breaker would trip on break - are you sure that this is what is actually happening?
Your compressor sounds like it is building a vacume lock when it shuts down. Upon restart, the compressor is frozen and there is a back surge in the power, tripping the breaker.
I'd go back to the 20 amp... reduces the risk of fire. Get the compressor checked.
This is A possibility, Your compressor may or may not have A crankcase heater, If it does and is shorting out It could cause the breaker to trip, crankcase heaters keep the oil temp around 130 degrees and is located at the bottom of the compressor and is only energized when the unit is not running, when unit runs it is not energized.
if you have a heat pump then have them check the secondary heat system. I may be running along with you airconditioning this will cause a big problem lol.