I monitor this board and read a lot of the posts, so I know AC is a touchy subject on here. However, I have done what I can and I need some additional info if possible. I have central air and it has run without problem for 7 years or so. I have an HVAC company that checks it out twice a year. About a month ago, the breaker dedicated to the AC started tripping. It doesn't trip consistently and indeed is very sporadic, running for days and then tripping. I had the company out and they replaced the breaker as they could find no problem. I had to leave for Florida for disaster relief work and was gone a month. During the time I was in Florida, the new breaker tripped. My wife called a company that a friend of hers has used for some time. They came out and did a lot of monitoring supposedly and then told her it was "drawing too many amps" and that the AC unit needed to be replaced (to the tune of $1300). When she called me about it, I told her to get another company to look at it. She did, and this company said it was fine, except that it was overcharged with freon. They drained a little off (this was two weeks ago) and it has worked without tripping the breaker since. My questions: 1. Is this a plausible scenario? Could being overcharged with freon cause the AC to draw more amps, or is there something else underlying this? 2. If someone has some ideas or has encountered this before, how was it fixed? I know there are a lot of variables that could go wrong here, but what are some of them. 3. How can I find an HVAC co. to fix this? I had a co. that did yearly maintenance, a referral from someone we know who recommended a company, and lastly a company that we have seen quite often in the neighborhood. You have heard the results above. Who to believe?
- posted
19 years ago