What Causes Low Pressure Lockout? 4 Main Reasons!

A radiator can maintain the comfy atmosphere in the wintertime without a doubt. We know how much we enjoy the company of it. That is why we can not take any disruption of it lightly. But this has low-pressure lockout at times!

So, what causes low pressure lockout?

Insufficient refrigerant is the first reason for low pressure lockout. However, a lack of airflow in the compressor might also be responsible. Not to forget that a dirty filter is often a culprit too. You can press the reset button, cycle the controller or take professional help as solutions.

That is a perfect overview that you could get about it. But we got here the details and the drills that would clarify your concern.

So, let’s get started now!

Reasons for a Low Pressure Lockout

The reasons that are responsible for a low pressure lockout are not uncommon. Although some of them might seem vague, most of them are very common.

But we do not usually think of these little things. And thus, several problems arise gradually in the long term.

Now, take a look here to know about the reasons in detail.

Reason 1 of 4: Insufficient Refrigerant Produced

This is something that we are not generally aware of. Because this is something internal to HVAC. And most of us do not know about it.

Source: pippinbrothers

However, this is one of the main reasons for a low pressure lockout. Your HVAC has a compressor inside. 

And a compressor might be starving due to issues at times. That is the time when it gets less refrigerant than it needs. 

As a result, it tries to take in more refrigerant forcing the device. However, the compressor can not be successful at it most of the time.

And gradually, the HVAC leads up to a low pressure lockout. 

So, this is one of the causes of a low pressure lockout. Another reason for low refrigerant can be a leak in your system.

Reason 2 of 4: Lack of AirFlow

The second reason is similar to the first reason. Because this is also related to the passing or flowing of substances. To be precise, this is the lack of airflow in the HVAC.

Sometimes, there is very little or almost no airflow in the coil that is inside. As a result, the HVAC gets a low pressure lockout after a while.

This issue mainly arises in winter. Especially, when it is really cold, you may experience these types of issues.

And a lack of airflow mainly happens due to the extreme cold weather. However, there might be a few other reasons at times too. 

For this, you may notice liquid line cold as a symptom.

Reason 3 of 4: A Dirty Filter

We know that dust and debris are a nightmare for any device or anything. However, it’s a very common thing for devices to get dust almost regularly.

Source: climatecare

And an HVAC might be in no way different in this. While flowing the air in and out, it gets a lot of dust particles. And that is when it gets dust inside the machine.

Gradually, the dust particles keep on gathering and getting clogged. As a result, the filter of the HVAC gets dirty and clogged. 

And then the HVAC tends to lock out due to the low pressure. Although this might seem like a simple one, this is not!

We often think the issue of dust does not matter. Because an HVAC lets air in and out. 

But remember that dust and debris could be the main culprit of a damaged HVAC. Thus we must remember the damage of this issue.

Reason 4 of 4: Internal Issues

Without the above reasons, there might be a miscellaneous one too. And that is any kind of internal issue. These internal issues are really hard to figure out for a normal person.

You can guess it’s an internal issue when the most common ones are not responsible.

A symptom of this can be your AC making noise after an outage. So do check it out.

Solutions- Low Pressure Lockout

You know every problem has a solution. So, if your HVAC has a low pressure lockout, it would have a solution too. 

You can follow many solutions for this problem. So, take a look.

Solution 1 of 3: Cycle the Controller

The very first solution for a low pressure lockout is to cycle the controller. So, how to cycle the controller? 

To do it, shut down the device first. Then wait for a couple of seconds. After that, you would have to turn off the circuit breaker of the system.

Be careful while you work with the circuit breaker. And make sure you keep any water materials or children out of reach this time. Because there are numerous HVAC safety hazards that you need to be careful about.

Once you turn it off, you need to wait again. You may wait for 45 seconds or up to a minute this time. Finally, turn it back on again. 

And cycling of the controller is now done!

Solution 2 of 3: Press The Reset Button

Today, several HVAC systems have already got their automatic reset button. With the help of it, you do not have to reset it manually.

That is, you can just click on the button and reset the system automatically. You can find it around the main switch.

Once you locate the reset button, you need to click on it. You can hold it for like 3 seconds to initialize the reset operation.

And this is how you can reset the low pressure lockout!

Solution 3 of 3: Take Professional Help

You may think that the above solutions are not feasible for you. And if you think the above solutions do not work for you somehow, hold on.

Do not be tense as you can still resolve this issue! However, this time you are not taking action. Rather, you can just talk to an expert who knows about it.

An expert would resolve the issue very simply. 

So, these are the main things to follow to resolve the issue. And remember one thing! You must always keep your system clean. Otherwise, issues like this would just keep coming up.

So if you are looking for a good cleaner, here’s our recommendation.

Hope this helps!

FAQs

Are high-pressure lockouts and low pressure lockouts the same?

No, high and low-pressure lockouts are not the same. One occurs due to common reasons like dust, debris, and all. But the other one is responsible due to very high power passing through the device. However, both these lockouts save the device from any danger of pressure.

Can a low pressure lockout leave bad consequences?

Well, it depends on whether low pressure lockout would have bad consequences or not. Because if you fail to be looking at the issue fast, there might be problems. However, if you can make sure to look at the problem, it would not have consequences. Because a lockout generally saves your device.

Can I clear out the lockout myself?

Yes, you can clear out the lockout of your device yourself. All you need to do for this is just power cycle the device. Once you do this then the lockout would be reset. However, if you are more concerned, you may get help from an expert.

The Final Words

Now you know about what causes low pressure lockout! And this also brings us to the end.

But before we sign off, here is a quick tip for you! That is, you must always try to keep your radiator in a clean place. Because it can get dust all the time from outside and get clogged gradually.

So, be aware!

Tim David

HVAC tech with over 30 years of experience. Retired and doing repair work on the side around Madison County, AL.