Unit freezes up and trips breaker after 5 minutes of operating. Whole surface is hot within 5 minutes

by John
(Kissimmee, Florida)

Unit stops, freezes up the compressor fan making a strange buzzing noise and then trips the breaker. I reset the breaker and turn on the unit and it is still inoperative with the buzzing noise. I wait about an hour and turn the unit back on to which it comes on and stay on for about 5 minutes then stops, freezing up the compressor fan and making a buzzing noise.

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Bill says...

John, I suspect you will find that your compressor motor is TEFC (totally enclosed, fan cooled). That being the case, the fan is run from the same shaft that drives the compressor.

It sounds like it the motor is overloading, and as the load increases, so too does the heat, and the current draw from the supply circuit, hence the blown breaker.

First make sure you are not using an extension cord, and that the power supply to the compressor isn't being drained by other appliances while the compressor is trying to run.

If that is already the case, then it might be a run capacitor, it might be the motor wearing out, or it might be something mechanical back loading the motor and causing the overheating.

Cheers,

Bill