Have you ever noticed how some homes have dedicated electrical circuit breakers for their HVAC units? A separate breaker is a safety measure that’s installed by air conditioning repair and maintenance contractors to protect the HVAC system from being tripped and shutting off unexpectedly. Depending on your home’s electrical work, a dedicated circuit breaker may be needed to keep your electrical equipment intact and your home safe.
Understanding Appliance Amperage Ratings
Each of your home’s appliances, lights or other electrical devices is assigned an ‘amperage rating’ that reflects its electrical needs. The ratings can range from .75 amps to 10 amps or more, but all the ratings of your home’s electrical equipment added together should be safely below the limit of your main circuit breaker. This is to ensure that you don’t overtax the breaker or wiring in the wall and create problems later on. However, you should also know that certain types of appliances will have even bigger amperage ratings, which can affect your home’s circuit breaker. This is where a separate circuit breaker comes in handy to keep your home’s electrical system from being overloaded.
Why Your HVAC System Needs a Separate Circuit
You’ll most likely need a separate circuit breaker for your HVAC system if your electrical system is old or an HVAC system wasn’t previously installed. Your hired air conditioning installation contractor will know the precise recommendation needed based on your home’s existing electrical panel and what type of HVAC unit will be installed.
However, if you already have a separate breaker and you’re just replacing an older unit, you still need to have it checked to be sure the amperage is adequate for your new HVAC unit. While you may still need to consult with a trusted contractor on what their recommendations are, a good tip to keep in mind is if your new unit is 110-120 volts with over seven amps, then you may need to install a new breaker just for your unit.
As a top-notch contractor offering great air conditioning maintenance and repair services, Superior Air always gets the job done right. Contact us at (559) 734-2002 or through our online request form! We serve Hanford and neighboring areas in CA.
