Air Conditioner Keeps Tripping Breaker... Stop Resetting it!

[@jasonjohnsonHVAC]

We use those Polaris connectors exclusively. No wire nuts for high voltage. Good ole Uncle Bob and his quality work. Cool video Rickster....thanks for sharing

[@jaymartin5095]

Have to know all the trades to work HVAC. Nice job. Thanks for the effort to share your experience and knowledge.

[@HVACRSurvival]

Thank you sir 🤜🤛👍👍

[@oetken007]

That enormous thing to connect these two tiny wires... looks hilarious 😂 Nice vid, thanks

[@MRrwmac]

I’m just a homeowner but wanted to say how I really enjoyed the excellent work you di and how you explained it! Thanks!

[@HVACRSurvival]

Awesome! Thank you! 🙏

[@davidnull5590]

Interesting video. That's a change, customers trying to be helpful, and they treated you like a fellow human, that can make a huge difference. thanks for the video.

[@HVACRSurvival]

Absolutely! They were very nice.

[@guyhulscher6857]

Clamp thing= Polaris lug. Love those things. Great job. Absolutely love the no nonsense explanations.

[@HVACRSurvival]

Thank you I really appreciate the feedback!

[@oscalerup1129]

Looked fun. Better than what I found this week. A FPE (Federal Pacific Electric) breaker box was screwed to the side of a furnace

[@HVACRSurvival]

🤣 sweet 👍👍🙏

[@oscalerup1129]

Oh wait forgot to add the 1ph Bristol compressor in a 3ph rheem unit on the same system.

[@justme5384]

Learning something new every day. Never heard of high leg delta before, had to google it. We mostly only have 230V single and 400V three phase in Europe

[@butchbutch7521]

Wow real nice cleaning up things. Great work. Your worth every penny. 😅

[@HVACRSurvival]

Thank you very much for the kind words.

[@xelaju8]

Thanks for taking the time to film and share. Very interesting videos.

[@HVACRSurvival]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@MikeB9771]

Nice thorough job Rick, thats definitely a job that needs a video to back up what you did before and after. Awesome video

[@HVACRSurvival]

Thanks 👍

[@KuncheeMan]

Thank you bro for making videos. I learn so much watching them

[@HVACRSurvival]

That's awesome I'll hear🤜🤛👍👍

[@amersingh2557]

Repairs carried out like a pro. Great Video, Rip ac unit.

[@zekemontgomery6678]

That’s nice that y’all get to work under electrical license. Always annoyed me that we don’t get any electrical credit doing hvac-r

[@fshn76]

Man rats nest didn’t even describe those wires at the unit or the breaker box. Great job Rick as always.

[@tamravarda4161]

Home owner (me) with outdoor unit dead….inside blowing hot air. I came here to better understand how circuit breaker “reset” caused my unit to blew out freon…guessing my compressor had a short and had to replace entire outside 410a unit AND replace entire line from breaker box….your video helped me understand it must have burned that wire up 😢. Lots more $$ but at least the house won’t burn down. Thank you for the detailed description….you are very thorough

[@HVACRSurvival]

I really appreciate you letting me know. Knowledge is power. It helps prevent any misunderstandings.

[@watermanone7567]

Nice job. I use to see on a 220 volt, single phase units that a broken neutral would cause high voltage on one leg and low voltage on the other leg. Usually happened after storms broke service entrance cable wires. Thanks for another excellent video.

[@HVACRSurvival]

Yeah, I've had that same thing happen with the neutral, but when I seen that that high and balanced perfectly around the 208 Mark, I figured it was probably a high leg.

[@Eddy63]

Nice job Rickster ... I always liked the electrical troubleshooting aspect ... Thx

[@stevencossaboon3237]

Nice work Rick. That place is a fire waiting to happen.

[@HVACRSurvival]

Hopefully not anytime soon after I’m there.

[@mrautoguy8419]

First time watching your video. Great video man! While you are working you are explaining whats going on with the unit. You also explaining what you are doing to fix it and why. One of the best videos I have seen in awhile. Thank you for that and you def have a subscriber!

[@HVACRSurvival]

I appreciate that! I have 450 plus videos on about everything I work on. From reach in coolers and walk in’s to generators, power stations, residential, on and on.

[@garypoplin4599]

24:10 -Iinstalling wire ties back to back prevents the insulation from rubbing out to the copper. I missed this one the first time watching. 22:40 - Yes! With conductors of any gauge, twist all the stranded ones together and push them to the bottom of the connector before adding the solids. Twisting all tight and pulling on each wire after tightening is also a good practice.

[@emylrmm]

crisp, efficient troubleshooting

[@stephenbullock-yn3vh]

Excellent repair 👍

[@HVACRSurvival]

Thank you I appreciate you taking the time to watch it and leave a comment.

[@Ted_E_Bear]

Rick, you do great work ! Thanks

[@natepeterson7145]

422d for less efficiency. Side job Bob couldn't fix it so they had to pay a real technician to get it going. That's one fire they dodged a bullet on. Great job Rick.

[@HVACRSurvival]

Thanks Nate!!! 🤜🤛👍👍

[@racgrac28]

good job as always!

[@HVACRSurvival]

Thanks man!

[@user-ql2bz8on7m]

I love the video explaining everything thank you❤

[@HVACRSurvival]

Thank you!

[@zekenzy6486]

Great Video. Nice Job. Thank you for sharing

[@HVACRSurvival]

🙏🤜🤛👍👍

[@mansourramzey7711]

Great job👍

[@HVACRSurvival]

Thanks for the support 🤜🤛👍👍

[@HenryMancini-rg3xm]

Good work you , I run in to a lot of half ass crap like that too

[@HVACRSurvival]

I think there's plenty out there to go around that's for sure! Thanks for watching

[@discnukem7774]

"Not even what I was here for" I thought it was ME in the video for a second!

[@HVACRSurvival]

Why is that?

[@emylrmm]

good video editing

[@HVACRSurvival]

Thank you! I try to do it well

[@eastcoast186]

Fantastic video thanks rick

[@HVACRSurvival]

Thanks for watching

[@danpresson]

Always enjoy your videos

[@HVACRSurvival]

Glad you like them!

[@maxmintz511]

Well done.

[@topher8634]

Delta high leg. Ive known people to move breakers around in a panel and send 208 to a receptacle. I always do the same as you and mark the panel with orange paint and a warning.

[@HVACRSurvival]

Thanks for sharing! One of my Ice-cream shops had that happen to one of his coolers. You don’t think about it if you don’t run into it very often that’s why I like, pointing it out and labeling.

[@johnwalker890]

Good job Rick, Yeah that panel is overloaded, The 208 delta is usually labeled with orange tape, but that wire is so old that the coloring wouldn't make much of a difference, I would recommend them to get a panel change out or new service, and standing in a puddle of water when working on electric circuits isn't good for your health.

[@HVACRSurvival]

I said something about it but cut it out, my complaint was I couldn't heal neal down 🤣

[@johnwalker890]

That 208 might have burnt-out that wire.

[@EverythingHVACR]

Uncle Bob's electric 😂. Always poor electrical connections, smh. Nice job, Rick!

[@jasonjohnsonHVAC]

His cousin Chuck does the HVAC on the side.....low low price on freeze-on

[@EverythingHVACR]

@@jasonjohnsonHVAC 😆

[@HVACRSurvival]

I tightened all the connections in that box, and there were several that were loose.

[@HVACRSurvival]

I love it!

[@AaronPowellvox]

Hvac licenses typically cover the electrical for the hvac. Mine does in Georgia. Great work though. Good sleuthing!

[@HVACRSurvival]

I hear often about the HVAC guys hiring other companies for easy stuff because of it, that's why I mentioned it.

[@The1realro]

Where did you go in GA I'm looking to further my education in HVAC.

[@littleshopintheshed]

Fingers moving wires around that breaker box and that bell goes off, I would crap my pants.

[@HVACRSurvival]

🤣👍👍

[@roccod1018]

Confidence is standing in a puddle while working with elecricity. Well done!

[@johnstrh1]

Polaris Lug is the name of what you used. As a residential sparky I use them quite a bit.

[@HVACRSurvival]

Thanks! 🤜🤛✌️

[@roberttraylor1392]

enjoyed the video great job you did and hvac tech has to do electrical,plumbing,and sheet metal

[@HVACRSurvival]

We got to know a little bit about everything. Thanks for the support!

[@harrydickson4575]

Nice job 👍👍👍

[@mxslick50]

Repeatedly resetting a breaker is dangerous and WILL damage it. Rule of thumb is, reset it ONCE. If it trips again, stop and get everything checked out. Even a small breaker used in homes can explode and has in many cases. ANY breaker subjected to a severe fault (shorted wiring, compressor or other appliances) MUST be replaced as the contacts are usually damaged so badly that they will create excess heat under normal loads. Any breaker subjected to repeated overloads SHOULD also be replaced, depending on age and how many times it was tripped on overload.

[@HVACRSurvival]

I fully agree with this☝️

[@throttlebottle5906]

yeah, when using wire nuts on stranded wire, always "lead" the stranded wire ahead of solid wire, because the stranded will often not get captured and simply fall out or multiple strands may push back and make a poor connection that will overheat and burn. it's always wise to pull on the wires afterwards to make sure they're captured well.

[@The1realro]

Do it every time to make it a habit.

[@CajunReaper95]

I agree and am of the opinion If it trips once don’t reset it call an HVAC tech cause there could be something wrong with the HVAC system!

[@zed9227]

Well done sir. 👍 one thing though. It appears you over tightened the breaker & connector. Look on each of them, there will be torque specs. A torque wrench is required for correct torque. Over tightening can damage the wire WAY worse than scarring it with a blade.

[@davejohnsonnola1536]

Turn head, engage safety squints, THEN flip breaker

[@henningquast8456]

Had a customers workers reset the high pressure alarm on a chiller for like three weeks before telling their foreman which obviously resulted in a locked up compressor on the one stage. Somebody got a real chewing since the compressor wasn’t available for a week and the production could only run on limping speed until we could change the compressor.

[@HVACRSurvival]

I can top that. I had a worker who was on Night Shift at a grocery store. There was a warm case alarm so they pulled it and kept hitting the alarm reset. It ended up being a catastrophic refrigerant leak. They thought it was only one case was down and silenced the alarm. They lost $60,000 worth the food.

[@markae0]

10:23 That is when you run away and say"I am not fixing that!". The previous person F-ed up big time, and if you work on it and it then breaks YOU will be blamed for the first persons work.

[@HVACRSurvival]

That's why I take good notes. Everything that happened and needs to happen has All been written down.

[@scott_meyer]

When you finally get one of those round tuits, you can organize the van.

[@archiefernandes1292]

Thanks

[@sammarchetti2484]

I wonder what size that breaker is and is supposed to be

[@josephtramutola592]

I would’ve mag the wire to see if it was any good in the conduit.

[@davidgrasscutter6545]

Rick what type of video camera used in your videos?

[@HVACRSurvival]

GoPro 11 black or my ultra 21

[@zarahmcqueen4566]

Refrigeration and electrician jack of all trades 😂

[@wired011]

Rick, That circuit is a good canidate for a megger

[@HVACRSurvival]

That's what another viewer said. I should have thought of that🤦🏻

[@restaurantrepairs]

👍🏼

[@TheAirheaded1]

I gotta Daikin room unit down in the basement and it's like brand new looking everything is spotless and rarely gets used why would I have to pull the breaker on the shutoff outside to fire it up like after a few hours of use? It just consists of a big unit then a smaller one in a bedroom.

[@HVACRSurvival]

Sounds to me like there’s an error or a lockout condition happening, when you kill the power outside, you’re causing it to reset. that’s all speculation, but Possible

[@TheAirheaded1]

@@HVACRSurvival Exactly, it's all controlled by a remote control and like a 100 options to change or if it doesn't sense movement in 20 minutes it cuts off, I wish it just simply had an Off/on switch to make it 100 times easier! Have you ever had problems with them cutting off?

[@ConnorCoultis]

Wild legs are kinda interesting. Not something we see at all up here in Canada. I’ve never heard of one in my area. Everything up here is 208v/3ph with 120v to ground on all phases, or 600V/3ph with 347v to ground.

[@shine-cg9uf]

🇺🇸💪❄️👍 love how u operate thanks for sharing

[@HVACRSurvival]

Thanks 👍

[@hamamotodesigns]

I have a portable air conditioner thats tripping my breaker, but why all of a sudden now after a few years? Nothing has changed since i was using it for the last few years. Takes about 5 to 10 mintues for it to trip once i turn it on.

[@HVACRSurvival]

It could be a weak capacitor, a blower motor going out, or a compressor that is not starting everything. It could be short cycling the compressor due to low refrigerant. It's hard to say without seeing it.

[@albertgarcia9662]

Rick when would it be the best time to call electrician?

[@HVACRSurvival]

When changing the panel or entrance cable but I've done both several times.

[@muadeeb]

Oof, that 208. Hate open delta systems. Just pay the fee for the 3rd transformer and close it

[@davejohnsonnola1536]

Gotta love wading in a puddle and stripping live? wires!

[@HVACRSurvival]

It's the best 😁👍👍

[@ki4clz]

Lek'trician here: I would have used a buttsplice instead of a polaris block

[@HVACRSurvival]

It wasn't my first choice. I'm lucky I got what I had, otherwise it's off until it comes in.

[@MichaelAnderson-py1ej]

You really should check for direct shorts to ground right from the disconnect box. You can tell it’s not three faze right away just from the disconnect box coming in with 4 wires.

[@HVACRSurvival]

Yeah, that's the problem with trying to talk and think at the same time. I find you make more mistakes that way.

[@throttlebottle5906]

I caught his slip up also, lol it happens when too many things going on at once. 🤣

[@Ericbakereb1]

😮 scar the wire is the least of their problems

[@HVACRSurvival]

😎😂

[@danielelise7348]

Looks like PM was never a priority for management here?🤔🙄

[@patricktonash8196]

Great work as always Rick. Have you seen the Testo 770-1 clamp meter which is ideal for clamping on in tight spaces?

[@HVACRSurvival]

Yep, I've heard mixed reviews.

[@QsTechService1]

No littering zip ties inside the 😂

[@chap3845]

That stupid little clamp thing is called a burndy, in my area anyway.

[@HVACRSurvival]

Had a search online then once I found it, it was a little easier. Lowes was supposed to have it, but they didn't, both electrical supply houses didn't have it, they had bigger ones. Ended up have to go back to the shop.

[@joehead1294]

Usually call a burndy a split bolt. Not sure it is legit for splicing, but have used them for it. Made for grounding/bonding I think. Kinda like a tap.

[@HVACRSurvival]

@@joehead1294 I remember split bolts being used but you have to use special electric tape. Cloth I believe.

[@bryanharayda1975]

Hello Mr Sparky lol

[@fellpower]

Americans should use wire end ferrules.....

[@u12739441t]

Compressor air tank gets hot

[@spykillergames8402]

Who called dodgy bros budget electrical 🤣

[@MarcosHVAC]

Rick, you need to wear your ppe. Get a monkey suit on before getting in those panels. Especially with how hacked up it looks. You can be thorough and comfortable with electrical, but it’s too big of a risk. I’ve seen the after math of a melted 600amp sub panel and no joke. Be safe out there and keep the great work

[@HVACRSurvival]

🤜🤛👍👍

[@Apollo729]

👍💡

[@emylrmm]

a lot of engineers I've worked with over the years don't know what a "wild leg" or a high leg really is and why the voltages are what thay are

[@Boodieman72]

Free pizza makes the job a whole lot better.

[@rubencastillojr4645]

Best to get certified electrician to do that if an electrical fire guess who they gonna blame

[@HVACRSurvival]

@@rubencastillojr4645 I addressed this in the video.

[@rumblertag1419]

That electrical panel was horrible

[@mikedillon6233]

Actually that standard for square d q o breakers. Those old panels like that seem to hold up the best because of that design of bussing behind it. That's my experience with it, and because of that design, the brand I by is Cutler hammer tan handle. Its what I buy for super duty Kind of work. feeding big air Conditioners, Large lighting loads. Good thing you caught that! That's just nothing but electrical fire waiting to happen, and your right! It will be your fault because you were the last guy there! L o l

[@JoseRodriguez-xh6qo]

He fixed what he saw wrong experience talks Like Michael Jordan

[@HVACRSurvival]

🙏👍👍

[@thesilentonevictor]

Make it happen rick😂 that is motor

[@Endoe.McKronic]

Wow... good job.. charged $450.99?

[@HVACRSurvival]

Is that what you would charge?

[@stevenpollock6342]

You are a very knowledge person, but as a hvac engineer I don't think that's your issue I'm British and I only go from isolator to unit you obviously know what you are doing but not your job and as you know electricians test everything after installation hence we haven't got their equipment so leave well alone seen alot of your videos and you knowledge is alot more than mine and probably alot of electricians but distribution boards you can't just go in there, saying that American work practices might be different I'm definitely not having a go you are obviously a very skilled technician but as a hvac engineer we in Britain just can't do the job you just completed.

[@HVACRSurvival]

The company I work for has a plumbing, electrical, mechanical, HVACR and boiler licenses. I work underneath those licenses, that’s how I’m able to do what I do without worry.

[@stevenpollock6342]

That is alot of knowledge you boys must have your apprenticeship must take around 10 years ,obviously you can see you know what needs to be done it just seems alot to ask of one engineer but maybe that's the union in me love your videos unfortunately they make me look inadequate

[@joedominguez2523]

That guy is total complainer, I would hate to work with that clown know it all.

[@HVACRSurvival]

Yep, I deal with stupid people all day, I’m not afraid to call it as it is. Done like it, don’t watch it. Problem solved. Ta ta 👋

[@sircampbell1249]

Who make Rats 🐀 nest electrical wiring ?

[@steveblake8766]

676 thumbs up

[@sabahatalikhan218]

Solution: my ac (independent) breaker was triping after 15min , I removed the breaker , there was a screw behind the switch which adjusted its sensitivity if I unscrew it , it was tripping easily , so I tightened it , then I attached it's all 4 wires in different way , by cleaning the ends and reshaping them just in case , tightened all 4 again , it stoped tripping ! . (turn off all the power supply 1st)

[@roqueherrera8471]

DUUUUDE wire strippers bud

[@scottk0623]

Megger time

[@HVACRSurvival]

Yeah you're right I completely forgot about it. I could've isolated it and Megged it against the conduit.

[@throttlebottle5906]

@@HVACRSurvival bah just turn it on and look for the smoke and sparks. clearly they've been doing that for long time. 🤪🤡