This is an automated archive made by the Lemmit Bot.
The original was posted on /r/lifeprotips by /u/Gen_JohnsonJameson on 2025-06-19 16:19:38+00:00.
Original Title: LPT: if you have an air conditioning compressor or heat pump, and it occasionally trips it's internal circuit breaker or "pressure switch" that you must then reset, you might not need a new system, it may just need a good cleaning.
I bought a house, it had a 20+ year old heat pump. Occassionally, it would trip its internal pressure switch and I'd have to go out, take the cover off the compressor, and press a red button to reset it. This wasn't the electrical circuit breaker, it was on one of the pipes that holds the freon. It was very simple to do, but very annoying. Had to do it about once a month.
The technician who showed me how to do it said "Nothing much you can do about it, old system and this is just how they show their age. Would you like me to prepare a quote for a new system?"
One day I noticed that there were a LOT of leaves both inside and outside of the compressor, so it was blocking about 4 or 5 inches of the radiator fins. I spent a day cleaning them out and washing down the fins to remove any dirt that was inside the fins. Had to just use a regular hose, the pressure washer was too strong and was deforming the fins, they are wimpy. Just a regular hose with my thumb over it was perfect.
After that good cleanout, it never had an issue beyond that point for the rest of the time (several years) that we owned the house.
So never discount the amount of benefit you can get from a good cleaning. Sometimes that's all a cranky piece of technology needs. Obviously YMMV, but it doesn't cost you anything to try. Remember to shut off electrical circuit breakers when working around any thing with electricity, and remember to protect any electronic circuit boards from water. Usually the electronics are in a separate compartment away from the dirty fins, but make sure you don't hose them down by accident.