Singapore has a hot and humid weather which makes installing air conditioners in homes and offices a necessity. Aircon’s provide a cool and revitalizing breeze which enables families to rest comfortably in their homes and sleep calmly in nights. Workers in offices also enjoy a favourable atmosphere where they can remain alert hence increasing their productivity. Therefore, constant tripping of your air conditioner whether in office or home can be of a great concern.
If your aircon keeps on tripping, it could be damaged or even cause fire. You should avoid keeping on resetting the breaker to keep the unit on. However, should start by finding the cause of tripping.
You should note that the tripping of the aircon is a safety mechanism meant to protect the equipment from high electric power, high temperature and high pressure. Ahead of calling an aircon repairer, you should check whether it is a simple fault your can repair by yourself.
Possible Causes of constant Tripping of an Air conditioner
1. Erratic settings of the aircon
In some cases, the air conditioner could constantly trip due errors in setting either by you or another person. For instance, the air conditioner could be set erroneously to switch on and off at random. Otherwise, the air conditioner could be in power saving mode which makes it to switch off and on at particular times. By reading the equipment’s manual, you can turn off the energy saving mode to stop the air conditioner from turning off unnecessarily. You can also adjust other erratic errors that can lead to tripping of the air conditioner.
2. The air filter could be dirty
If the air filter of the aircon is dirty, the blower works harder and it takes more time for the air to circulate throughout the filter. This makes the blower to pull more electricity thereby causing a trip of the aircon.The solution to this problem is changing the air filter. If you have the knowledge of replacing the filter, you can do it without calling an air conditioner technician. In case replacing the filter does not stop tripping of the air conditioner, you should consult a qualified technician.
3. Dirt could have accumulated in the compressor
Dirt slows down free ejection of heat produced by the compressor to the atmosphere. This in turn raises temperature and pressure within the aircon causing it to trip. The circuit break or trip act as a safety precaution meant to protect the aircon from damage arising from high temperature and pressure. The air conditioner will remain off for a while until the compressor cools then it will restart. To solve this problem which can result to frequent switching on and off, the aircon should be serviced regularly through taking out the coil and cleaning. It is advisable to seek services from an experienced air conditioner technician. The technicians have the cleaning equipment, cleaning chemicals and the expertise needed. You will therefore be assured of the safety of your equipment. Cleaning the aircon on your own could lead to flattening or damaging of fins surrounding the coil. This could act as a barrier to free flow of air resulting to more tripping of your equipment.
4. Short circuit of the motor
If the motor works for too long, it may become hot and break the wire insulation. This leads to short circuit. Short circuit of the motor lets more electric current to flow than the wires can be handle resulting to overheat which can cause fire. As a safety measure your aircon trips.The solution to this problem is to contact air conditioner technicians to find out the source of the short circuit and repair the equipment.
5. A faulty electronic circuit board
This could make particular components of the air conditioner not to function efficiently causing overheating. This in turn could make your equipment trip. To solve this problem, you should consult air conditioner experts to examine the circuit board and repair it.
6. Inadequate refrigerant
Lack of enough refrigerant implies that your air conditioner will work for longer time to cool your home or office. This makes the aircon to overheat causing a trip. You can note that there is inadequate refrigerant if the air produced by the equipment is not very cold. The solution to this problem is consulting a qualified technician to seal any refrigerant leak and add more refrigerant.
7. The compressor could have difficulty in starting
Your air conditioner could be having an old compressor leading to a hard start. This would make the equipment to draw more electric current causing a trip. To solve this problem, you should consult an experienced air conditioner technician to insert a capacitor also called a hard-start-kit. This capacitor provides the compressor more power to start faster. If the compressor is too old or severely damaged, your technician may replace it for you.
8. The safety switch could be the problem
Tripping of the breaker could also emanate from the safety switch rather than the air conditioner itself. May be the wires are loosely connected to the safety switch or the switch itself is faulty and requires replacement. The solution to this issue is contacting a technician to tighten the wires or replace the faulty safety switch.
9. The compressor could be grounded
This happens when the electrical winding in the compressor breaks and touches the sides of the compressor. A grounded compressor causes a short circuit on the ground which ignites the oil resulting to burnout. The sudden power surge causes the air conditioner to trip. The remedy to this problem is to immediately alert a qualified and experienced air conditioner technician to replace the damaged compressor and clean the refrigerant.
Conclusion
The above causes of tripping of air conditioners reveals that best solutions can be obtained from experts in fixing and servicing the units. Therefore, when your aircon trips constantly, it is imperative to consult a professional technician. Attempting to repair a tripping aircon on your own can cause further damage. You should choose an aircon servicing company in Singapore which is registered and experienced. The company should be accredited and should be willing to give you advice. The company should be ready to give you a warranty for a reasonable period and also charge you fairly for its services.
