Replacing AC Breaker For Air Conditioning in Tampa

What are Breakers?

During the hot months, home and business owners need to live comfortably all day long. That’s why homes and companies should have fully functional air conditioners to ensure cool air. However, sometimes the air conditioner can become faulty if the ac breaker isn’t working.

Breakers are electrical switches that ensure only the needed electric current flows to the air conditioner and other devices. Hence, they prevent overloading, which can pose dangers such as fires. Again, they prevent your air conditioner from becoming faulty due to a short circuit. If overloaded, the ac breaker keeps tripping and can cause inconveniences.

How Circuit Breakers Work

Circuit breakers have several components, including arc extinguishers, trip elements, the frame, among others. It works automatically to keep your devices safe, so you don't have to worry about switching it off or on. A circuit ac breaker has a hot wire and a neutral wire that control the current and voltage. The hot wire provides current to the circuit breaker while the neutral wire takes the current to the earth. As these ends of the circuit breaker work, they cause an alternating current which helps to prevent a short circuit or an overload.

How Many Watts Can a 15 amp Breaker Handle?

A 15 amp breaker can only hold between 1800 to 2000 watts for it to function efficiently. If you overload a 15 amp breaker, the ac breaker keeps tripping. By converting 15 amps to watts, you’re assured of the maximum current your air conditioner can hold. If you aren’t sure, your trusted technician can help you convert 15 amps to watts. However, you can upgrade from a 15 amp breaker to a 30 amp circuit breaker using 30 amp circuits.
A 30 amp circuit breaker can hold a maximum of 7200 watts. Again, 30 amp circuits are the best choice if you have a much larger air conditioning system. When using a 15 amp circuit breaker, you understand that you should load it with a maximum of 80% by calculating 15 amps to watts. At Momentum AC Services Inc, we advise you to keep your family and loved ones safe by avoiding overloading your ac breaker to avoid electric fires.

How Do I Stop My AC from Tripping the Breaker?

An ac breaker keeps tripping due to various reasons, including loose wiring, dust in the condenser coils, a damaged circuit breaker, and a leaking refrigerant. If you need to stop your AC from tripping the breaker, you should call an experienced HVAC technician to seal leaks in the refrigerant. Our technicians can also replace the capacitor, tighten loose wires or clean the air filters depending on the cause of the tripping.