Portable Air Conditioner Tripping Breaker - Suggestions??

[Nikki]

I thought I would ask this question here as you guys seem to know your stuff!

We bought a portable AC for our condo, it is 1500W and it keeps tripping the breaker. There is nothing else plugged into the outlet and nothing else on that breaker. It runs about 20 mins before the breaker goes.

Is there anything we can do? Or do we need to exchange the AC for a smaller unit?

TIA

[Bring_Back_Shantz]

Did you check the rating on your breakers?
Check the amperage on the breaker, and on the unit itself.
There might be a problem with the breaker or the AC unit.

If the breaker is rated for a higher amperage than the AC unit, than it might be time to replace it.

Edit: a 1500 W AC unit should be pulling about 12.5 amps so if you've got a 15 amp breaker (I think that's pretty standard) then either you're pulling more than the unit claims, or the breaker is getting worn out.

[Nikki]

Originally Posted by Bring_Back_Shantz

Did you check the rating on your breakers?
Check the amperage on the breaker, and on the unit itself.
There might be a problem with the breaker or the AC unit.

If the breaker is rated for a higher amperage than the AC unit, than it might be time to replace it.

Edit: a 1500 W AC unit should be pulling about 12.5 amps so if you've got a 15 amp breaker (I think that's pretty standard) then either you're pulling more than the unit claims, or the breaker is getting worn out.

The condo is brand new so I don't think it is worn out. Thanks for the info, I will have a look tonight.

[ken0042]

How long is the run of wire from the breaker to the plug? Is it copper or aluminum wire? What is the voltage you are getting in your house?

All of those can be factors in what's causing the breaker to blow.

(Edit- if the condo is new you shouldn't have aluminum wire.)

[metal_geek]

I had the same issue with my weasher... Brand new.. in a brand new house...

Replaced the breaker, wall plug... same thing...

In the end, it turned out that the cord on the washed was frayed/sliced up inside the machine where I couldn't see it.. The machine would go for a while and eventually the cord would touch the metal housing and trip the breaker.

I'd either bring the machine back, or take it apart and make sure nothing is ground out the cord...
________
The cigar boss

[McMack]

I had the same problem with a Danby unit. It was on a long run from the panel, so I ran a new 20 Amp circuit w/ 12GA wiring and 20 Amp outlet. This ran great for a couple of months and then the A/C unit died. Based on my experience, I would say the unit was defective in some way and so is yours. Return it ASAP if possible. The warranty period is only 1 year; I bought mine 3 years ago from Costco.

[ken0042]

You could buy one of these from Canadian Tire to see how much juice the unit is sucking up.

[Nikki]

How can I figure out the amperage of the breaker?

[mac_gurl]

how do you know there's nothing else on the circuit?? is it in you bedroom?? is it a new AC?? let me know i can help

[Nikki]

Originally Posted by mac_gurl

how do you know there's nothing else on the circuit?? is it in you bedroom?? is it a new AC?? let me know i can help

We flipped the breaker to see what turned off, all that was affected was the hall light. No, the plug in is near the entrance.

[mac_gurl]

well typically there is 12 devices on 1 breaker, so there should be more unless you requested a seperate breaker for the ac. if i was to guess what the problem is, i'd say one of the clamps is to tight on the wires in the box. best bet is to find something that draws about the same amount of current and plug it in to see if it trips the breaker. other than that it could be just a loose connection in the panel or a number of other things. you know what plug it in somewhere else in the house like where it is not on that same circuit and see if it stays on. just to see if it is the machine or not.

[Rathji]

Note: I am not an electrician, but have pieced together the following understanding over the years.

Try and find another plug on the same breaker and test the unit there. If the problem is the same on every plug on the breaker ( do NOT use an extension cord) , then test it on another breaker circuit. If the problem continues then the problem is with the A/C unit, and you should either buy a testing device to see what amps it is drawing, or take it in to a service guy.

If the problem is only with half the plugs on the breaker, then there is something wrong with your wiring. An electrical device will draw the electricity it needs, which means if there is a 'choke point' ( badly pinched or frayed wire, wire of seriously lower gauge or a buggered plug,) that choke point reduces the amount that gets through, so the device draws even more, so even though your unit says it draws 1500a, if it is dealing with something like this it your breaker could be receiving a much higher draw, which is causing it to trip your breaker.

[Frequitude]

Originally Posted by Nikki

How can I figure out the amperage of the breaker?

It'll say right on it.

1) The first thing you should do is
a) check the rating of the breaker.
b) check the current rating on the nameplate of the AC unit.

2) If a > b, then you're kosher there. Move onto finding out what else is on the circuit.

3) If nothing else is, then you've got a problem with either the AC unit or your breaker.



...Don't worry about step 3 until you've verified 1 and 2.

[Shazam]

If your condo is brand new then at minimum that breaker and your wiring will be rated for 15 amps. Since you're not plugging into a 220 volt receptacle, we can reasonably assume that the breaker in question will be rated for 15 amps.

There's a few things that could be going on:

- You have more on that circuit than just a hall light. I'd be mighty surprised if in fact that's all you had on it - one light and some plugs.

- Improper wiring. Happens all the time. Pinched wiring is quite common.

- Your panel and breaker are Federated Pioneer brand. They suck.

[McMack]

I did a post-mortum on my Danby A/C unit today (the one that was tripping the breaker and eventually died.) Turns out I was lucky my house didn't burn down. (OK, I'm being a bit of a drama queen.) At the point where the power cord connects to terminals inside the unit, the wiring and terminal was burnt with possible evidence of arcing and corrosion. There was some melted and burnt plastic. Even though I am way past warranty, I think I may attempt to take my partially disassembled unit back to Costco.