Breaker Keeps Tripping: What to Do & How to Fix

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Circuit breakers in the house are the best safety option for all good reasons. It is something that keeps your house away from any electric burst or damage as well. While, on the other hand, when the breaker keeps tripping, it causes major trouble.

Leaving your room or house in the dark, along with affecting other appliances, are the common threats. The first reason for the problem can be a poor quality breaker system or an expired one. Without any delay, you need to move forward for serious action.

Reasons Behind Breaker Tripping 

Whenever the breaker trip, there are certain reasons behind it. The circuits are designed in a way to help the whole system avoid any damage. If there is anything wrong with the circuit, the breaker will trip to avoid any massive loss. The electrical wiring forms a chain in the house, and there is a possibility of traveling the burst from one side of the house to the other easily within no time. So the trip breaker actually takes precautionary measures. Following are the issues that commonly happen in tripping cases:

  • Short circuit – the contact between a hot wire and neutral wire causes the overflow of current in a circuit that causes too much heat. It can result in a fire, burst, or blast as well. In such a situation, breaker trip to cut the circuit and secure any burst in the system.
  • Overloaded circuit – it is one of the common practices with the electrical system. Putting the burden on a circuit that the electrical system is unable to handle causes an overloaded circuit. The circuit cannot deal with the number of amps flowing in it, then breaker trips. It can cause damage to electrical appliances sometimes.
  • Ground fault – the situation comes forward when bare ground wire and hot wire are contacting the housing metal box. It increases the flow of amps through the circuit that is more than its capacity. It results in frequent trips and burnt outlets as well.

What to Do When You’re Circuit Breakers Keeps Tripping

Normally when a circuit breaks at any place, you have a four-step solution to fix it immediately:

  • Identify whether it is one room or whole housebreaker tripped
  • Switch off all the electric appliances and lights in the room or the house
  • Reach out to the circuit box using any emergency flashlight if it is too dark
  • Find the breaker switch at the OFF position and flip it to the ON position

It is the simplest way to get rid of the problem in the first place. However, if it keeps tripping, you cannot go back and flip the button every time. The problem is serious, and you need to look forward to an in-depth resolution.  

Identify The Reason 

The first thing you need to do when there is frequent tripping is to identify the reason. Check out the possible circuit problems. Normally the overloaded circuit, repetitive short circuit, and ground fault cause the issue repetitive. You need to inspect the electrical system for the identification of the reason.

Check Out Appliances 

For safety concerns, there is a possibility that your electrical appliances have some problem. Check out all the appliances and their power outlets. It helps to find out the reason in the first place.

Check the Housing Box 

The housing box is another target to investigate the matter. It is essential to check out all the wires in the ox one for all. Checking the box in time will lead you to get the right solution without exerting so much effort.

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How to Fix It?

After getting the idea of the issue and its reasons, the crucial part is to look out for the solution. It is possible to flip the breaker one or two times a week but not every other moment or day. If the breaker is that much loose, then you need to have a fix in time. For the fixing, there are certain things that you can do.

Check Power Outlets 

The first thing is to check out the power outlets. If any of the power outlets are, burn out, heated, or the appliance power plug is heated, that is your actual culprit. You need to fix the wires in the power outlet or check the appliance as it is causing more electrical flow in the system and heating the overall system.

Reduce the Circuit Load 

Another reason for frequent tripping is the circuit load. You have recently added a new appliance to the circuit taking more electrical power, and the system is unable to hold it. Therefore, you need to reduce the load overall and quit using any such appliance. If you want to keep using it, then improve the circuit capacity and work the overall system.

Improve Wiring Quality 

The wiring and circuit do have a specific life. After a certain time, you need to work on improvement and modification. The frequent tripping is an indication to look forward towards the improvement.

Change Breaker System 

Sometimes, the breaker system lost its capacity to hold even minor pressure. The free breaker or burnt breaker is unable to deal with even a little load at times. So, change over the whole system.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Does Tripping Have Anything to Do with The Weather?

Yes, in cold weather, the molecules shrink, and that reduces the wire elasticity. Overflow of electricity in winters cause more tripping.

Q: Is It Possible to Change One Breaker?

Yes, if the whole system is working fine, but on breaker is causing the issue, you can change it in the series.

Q: How to Keep the Check On The Voltage?

Use digital Volta meters in the housing boxes to keep track of voltage.

Call The Professionals

Frequent breaker tripping can cause some serious threats to the house, office, or any other building. It can damage appliances and the building too. Fix up the problem as you notice it for the first time instead of taking it for granted. It does not take too much time to fix it if you are proactive with the matter. Delaying the resolution will come up with a bigger challenge.