Facing electrical issues can be confusing and potentially dangerous. If ignored, perpetual electrical problems can result in electrical fires, burnt outlets, and damaged electronics or appliances.
Continue reading to learn how to identify a tripped breaker and what you should do if a breaker keeps tripping.
Why Does My Breaker Keep Tripping?
There are three primary reasons why your GFCI breaker keeps tripping. These reasons include circuit overload, short-circuiting, and ground fault surges. Here’s a brief introduction to each of these common breaker trips:
Standard Circuit Breakers
Circuit overload occurs when an electrical system cannot deal with the amps that are coming through the circuit. Overloaded circuits will flip the breaker to prevent severe issues, but this isn’t enough in some cases. Electronics will be damaged, and potential fires will start.
Short Circuit
Another reason why your circuit breaker may be tripping is due to a short circuit. Short circuits occur when a hot wire touches a neutral wire. This results in an overloading of the circuit, which creates heat — resulting in the circuit being shut off.
Due to the fact that they create heat, short circuits are extremely dangerous and are responsible for electrical fires in some cases.
Ground Fault
When hot wires and bare ground wires are touching the metal box inside, this can force more electricity through the circuit, resulting in the breaker being tripped. Ground fault surges can burn an outlet and are also sometimes responsible for other dangerous electrical incidents.
How Do I Know if I Tripped a Circuit Breaker?
Most residential circuit breakers are located inside a gray metal box in the laundry room, garage, basement, or utility room of a home.
If you are unsure whether your circuit breaker has tripped, you must first locate the circuit breaker box.
Open the circuit breaker box and observe the switches inside. The breaker that has been tripped will have its lever pointing away from the “on” position, making it obvious which breaker is tripped.
Why Does My Circuit Breaker Keep Tripping?
If your circuit breaker is frequently tripping, this indicates that something could be wrong with the circuit itself. It could be a wiring issue or an issue with the circuits in one of your appliances.
Because electrical issues can prove dangerous if neglected, it’s important to get in touch with a skilled electrician if you face perpetual problems with your circuit breaker tripping.
How Can I Tell if I Have a Blown Circuit Breaker?
Here are four signs that your circuit breaker may be bad and in need of replacing:
- Your breaker won’t stay reset.
- There is a burning smell in the electrical box.
- Your circuit breaker keeps tripping frequently.
- There are signs of damage to a breaker (i.e., scorch marks).
What to Do When a GFCI Circuit Breaker Keeps Tripping
Here are seven things you can do if your breaker keeps flipping off:
- Turn off all the lights and appliances affected by the power outage.
- Find your circuit box and search for the breaker(s) in the “off” position.
- Flip the breaker from “off” to “on”.
- If the issue persists, consult an expert.
- If you need a replacement, research a quality circuit breaker to have installed in your home.
Electrical Supply Distribution: Your Quality Circuit Breaker Provider
Are you looking for high-quality circuit breakers? Here at Electrical Supply Distribution, we stock a range of dependable parts from leading brands to ensure that every home is equipped with a quality circuit breaker.
Contact us today to answer your circuit breaker questions or browse our online catalog to see what we have in stock.
