A circuit breaker is an important part of your electrical system. It’s a safety mechanism that protects your home and your family from shorts, overloads, and other issues.
A circuit breaker trips when it detects a problem. When this happens, you need to reset it so that you can fix the problem. Otherwise, your circuit won’t work, and you may trip your homeowner’s insurance.
There are a lot of things that cause circuit breakers to trip in different homes. In order to make sure your home stays safe and functional, we’ll show you some of those causes and how to find what is tripping my circuit breaker.
Overloaded Circuit
Overloading a circuit could trip a circuit. This occurs when too much energy is drawn from the circuit, and the circuit breaker trips to protect the wiring from overheating and causing a fire.
Signs that your circuit is overloaded include lights dimming or flickering when more than one appliance is on the same circuit. An overloaded circuit can also cause breakers to trip suddenly due to a surge in electricity. To prevent overloading a circuit, make sure that each appliance is on a dedicated circuit and that you do not exceed the wattage of the circuit.
Short Circuit
A common cause of circuit breaker tripping is a short circuit. This occurs when a hot wire comes in contact with a neutral wire. This gives electricity a way it wasn’t supposed to take and causes a surge of current that is too much for the circuit and trips the circuit breaker.
This is often the result of wire being exposed due to loose connections, bad insulation, or damaged wiring. It is important to have a licensed electrician diagnose and fix the problem. Continued tripping can diminish the life of your breaker and can cause you to replace breaker immediately.
Faulty Appliances or Devices
Faulty appliances or devices are one of the most common causes of circuit breaker tripping. Overloaded circuits and short circuits can occur when a device is pulling more power than it was designed for or if there is an internal wiring problem.
Many appliances can cause a circuit to be overloaded if too many are sharing the same circuit. Circuit breakers protect your house from potential electrical damage, so it is important to identify and address the problem as soon as possible. It is wise to check your wiring and connections before replacing an appliance or device, as this can often save you from having to replace the circuit breaker itself.
Ground Fault
A ground fault is one of the most common causes of a circuit breaker tripping. It occurs when electricity is traveling through the circuit and is ground back or short-circuited somewhere along the line.
This usually happens due to faulty wiring, a bad connection, faulty outlets or switches, an appliance malfunction, or the accidental piercing of electrical insulation with a nail or other tool. A ground fault will also occur if there is an arc fault, which is caused by an electrical spark between two objects.
Learn How to Find What Is Tripping My Circuit Breaker
Learning how to find what is tripping my circuit breaker can easily be identified and remedied. With some basic knowledge and testing, most issues can be fixed without the help of an electrician.
If you don’t feel comfortable troubleshooting on your own, contact a certified electrician to ensure your electrical safety.
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