What Causes a Burnt Wire in Your HVAC System?

Burnt wires are actually a pretty common repair in the HVAC industry, but what exactly is causing this to happen? Well, there are several issues that may have lead to your burnt wire including, but not limited to, loose connections, a failing capacitor, and faulty breakers. When any of these situations occur, they may led to overheating your wires which is why they end up melting or burning. Let’s dive into each scenario.

Loose Wires Cause Fires

This catchy rhyme is actually the most common issue for a melted HVAC wire. Your wires are supposed to be anchored in the terminal behind the receptacle. Sometimes the wire isn’t wrapped and anchored properly. An example of this is when a method called backstabbing the wire is applied instead of the wrap and anchoring technique. Backstabbing is when the wire is stabbed through small holes in the back of the receptacle, which can loosen over time. When a wire loosens, it can melt or burn.

Failing Capacitor

An HVAC capacitor is like a battery for your air conditioner, and is responsible for providing energy to your AC motors. They are connected to the wiring inside your air conditioning system and provide the initial jolt of electricity to revv up and start the cooling process. These high-voltage devices can start to fail for various reasons such as short-circuits, power-surges, debris build up, extremely hot temperatures causing the capacitor to overheat, and normal wear and tear. When the capacitor starts to fail, it can build up heat and lead to a melted or burnt wire.

Faulty Breaker

Breakers are another component that fail and lead to overheating which can melt or burn the wires. The breaker is responsible for turning off power when an overload circuit is detected. Similar to the capacitor failing, your breaker may fail for reasons such as debris, temperature, wear and tear, and weather. When the breaker is faulty, it may not properly detect the overload, and continue to let your AC system run and overheat, ultimately leading to a burnt or melted wire.

It is important to have a professional HVAC service professional do routine maintenance on your air conditioning system to help detect issues before they worsen. Airsurance offers both yearly maintenance plans and one-time maintenance tune-ups to help fit everyone’s needs!

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