Circuit breakers are designed to cut power to circuits when an issue arises that could endanger your safety. While it might be a bit annoying to suddenly have a section of your home or office shut down, a circuit breaker tripping is likely pointing you to an underlying issue in your electrical system. Here’s what we recommend doing when that circuit break just won’t quit.
Find the Problematic Circuit
It’s often not clear exactly what is causing the circuit breaker to trip, but finding the reason is important. To do that, go to your circuits and determine which breaker has tripped. In most buildings, these are labeled. If you aren’t sure which breaker is in charge of which circuit, you may need to troubleshoot by turning all the switches off and back on, one-by-one.
Find the Problematic Appliance
Once you know which circuit is causing the issue, turn off all the appliances and devices that use that circuit’s energy. For appliances with no off switch, like a microwave, you may need to unplug the device. Then, turn the breaker back to the on position.
One by one, turn on or plug in the devices to discover which one is tripping the breaker. In some cases, the breaker may not trip again. However, if it does trip, you’ll know which device is causing the problem.
Call a Professional
If resetting the breaker does not prevent it from tripping again, don’t try to keep resetting it. Consistent tripping can harm your electrical system and put your building at risk. When a circuit trips, it is usually because of one of three reasons:
- too much power is being drawn by the circuit
- a ground-fault has occurred (hot wires have touched a grounded object)
- hot and neutral wires have been crossed, creating a short circuit
Tripped breakers can be a nuisance, but they can also signify deeper problems that need to be addressed in order to protect your safety. As seasoned electricians, the team at Jason H. Pope Electrical Contractors can take a look at your electrical system and determine the underlying cause of your circuit breaker’s behavior. If you need anything repaired or rewired, we can handle it.
Consult with our experts today by filling out the form on our contact page.
