Came home today and found that the front ac unit was no longer running and it's breaker was tripped in the box.
Anyone have any idea what might have cuased this?
And how do I get the breaker "untripped" it just seems to want to spring back to off.
Thanks everyone.
I've been living in the Barth for Four years now.
Jack

AC breakers have to be returned to the "off" position from the "tripped" position before they'll engage.

If the rear unit was running, the front, in starting may have dragged the line voltage down (which would have increased the current draw of the starting A/C) and caused the breaker to trip.

But sometimes the compressor will stop in a position that makes the starting demand more-than-usual current, and this could be the case. If it recurs, however, it's time to have it checked by a tech.

Breakers, BTW, limit current, not voltage...and you may in fact have a defective one.

quote:

Originally posted by brandman:
I've been living in the Barth for Four years now.

When was the last time you greased the A/C unit? If the bearings are starved and are siezing, this could explain the symptoms too.

Low voltage is not uncommon on a hot afternoon when lots of air conditioners are running. That could have tripped your breaker.

How is the voltage there in the afternoon?

I did return the breaker to the off position and it seems to be working ok now. We were in the midst of a heatwave in Southern Cal. today hense perhaps Bill H's hypothesis is the most likely although it would be the first time that has ever happened.
I'll keep a eye on a possibly defective breaker switch as well thank you Rusty.
Bill from New York I assume you mean greasing the fan bearings?
I just replaced the fan in the unit last year.
At what points would I apply the grease?
Thanks for your speedy replies.

Okay. It tripped the breaker agasin today and shut off.
It seemed as though it was having a tough time blowing cold air on maximum speed.
The cold air was intermittant.
Compressor perhaps??
Can these units be re-charged with freon?
Or perhaps I can replace just the compressor.
It's a coleman.
The compressors are quite costly if I re-call correctly.

Excessive draw can be caused by a variety of issues, the most common of which is a defective start/run capacitor (about $15 in the box). However, a bad compressor (also a distinct possibility due to the age of your unit will cause excessive draw, as will a bad fan motor, which we can rule out, yours being new).

Here's what I would do, being cheap. Replace the breaker that continues to trip. While these rarely become defective, they're cheap and easy to replace - both characteristics are Gold to techs.

If the breaker still trips, then it's time to go to an RV place and get a new capacitor. This is also an item that is user-replaceable, although many times, it takes some exploration to discover where they are. If you're a bit apprehensive about messing with electricjuicity, then it's time for a tech to check out the system. Low refrigerant is unlikely. The first thing is to have the current draw checked by a tech; this is a relatively simple operation using a clamp-on ammeter. If the readings are still high, go to replacement.

But I'd not spend too much money in diagnostics, because this unit is nearing its demise in any case at 20 years old.

A complete new unit should run less than $600, with installation around $200. Personally, I prefer the Duo-Therm because they have a thermostatically-controlled fan - need less cooling, get less noise (and they shut off when the temp is reached). Carrier also has a decent unit that has a center air discharge, which makes cool air distribution nice. Frankly, I've never been a fan of Coleman units, but that goes back a few years when I met the then-CEO of Coleman, who is an idiot...OK maybe that's too harsh, but I have things growing in my shower that have towering intellects compared to him.

Thanks for that most thorough, well written response Rusty. There's gold in that information.

Thanks, and good luck. BTW, the cost for a replacement unit is the street/eBay price; a dealer might want to charge more, but might trim installation costs. Installation is about an hour in virtually every case, two hours at the outside.

I bought a Carrier off ebay last winter for under $400 including freight. Easy install once you get it on the roof.

Yup. "Once you get it on the roof." Been there, done that.

LOL. Yeah, sounds like it would be easiest to pay to have it installed.
My guess is it's the compressor that's going bad and causing the draw to trip the breaker.
Thanks for the new unit recomendations.
I might look into replacing the compressor though.
As I just replaced the fan last year.
Jack

I think you'll find that replacing the compressor would cost more than replacement - especially due to the labor.