We have an Armstrong Concept 1000 outside unit Model # shp10e30a-3 (we also have an indoor unit- both used to operate during winter months) and the outside unit stopped working about 3 weeks ago. We still have heat coming from the indoor unit. We noticed the circuit breaker to the outside unit turns itself to the off position and trips every time we try to turn it on. It's a 30 amp breaker to the outdoor unit and 100 amp to the indoor unit, but the outdoor one is the one having problems. The indoor unit circuit breaker just got replaced a few weeks ago and we had to have someone come out the next day to fix the wiring on our thermostat which was supposedly mis-wired the whole time. Last night when we tried to switch the outdoor unit circuit breaker to the on position, the outside unit started to run for a few seconds, and a spark came off of one of the ends of the wire that goes to the 30 amp circuit breaker. Could we need a new breaker, new wiring, or possibly a whole new outdoor unit?
have your electrician verify the amp draw, amps could be approximately seventy 5% of your breaker length as to not overload the breaker, in case you have a clamp on amp meter you may verify it your self. better than possibly your breaker, (and possiblely twine length), is undersized, between a million and four am is the coldest area of the day your warmth is working the toughest,(warmth strips are drawing close). verify and notice what length warmth strips you have, as an instance, 15,000 watt warmth strip divided via 240 volts = has an amp draw of sixty two.5 amps. demands a 70 amp breaker.
At the outset: I'm guessing! - so treat this as a possible starting point. I believe your indoor unit is the air handler (heat exchanger, fan) and the site of the Stage II heating elements. (Those are the resistance heat coils - which cost a lot to operate because theythe area use a lot of electricity. Hence the 100A breaker.) Your outdoor unit includes a compressor and a wrap-around finned radiator to absorb heat from the outside air, concentrate that heat, and get it in to the heat exchanger inside. This outside operation is trying to draw too much current... and, I'm afraid you will find that there is a either a faulty wire or connection which is causing a dead short (repairable?)) or a faulty compressor (probably bad new$) I sincerely hope you don't live within the area of the storm we're having, Richard
It's too hard to tell you exactly where along the circuit it is tripping the breaker without being there. In the past, I found that a grounded compressor will trip the breaker immediately. I'm not an electrician but sparks at the breaker panel mean two wires are touching each other.
If the breaker trips right away, it means you have a direct short. Usually in a heat pump this is a crankcase heater. This is what keeps the oil in the compressor warm during cold months, This is not an expensive fix, but you will need to have an a/c company check it out. If this is not the problem, the next bet would be a compressor. When it takes several minutes to trip the breaker it means other problems. But right off trips mean a high amp draw, or a short.
Could be a lot of things, but first I would check all connections. If you got a spark from the wire it might be that it has not been tightened securely. Or, it could be that the wire on the other end where it connects to the unit has not been tightened. If the thermostat was mis-wired, what's to say something else is mis-wired? If the loose connection does not solve the problem, I would get an electrician to have a look. This could be dangerous. It could cause a fire, and is not worth the risk.
