My Breaker is Tripping! Why is this happening and what should I do?
Stack Electric can give you some insight to what’s causing this and corrective action to deal with these issues. Tripping circuit breakers in your home can be a sign of several underlying issues.
Typically this happens when electricity finds an unintended path to ground, often due to water contact or a hot wire touching a conductive surface or a hot wire crossing a neutral wire. Up-to-date circuit breakers will detect this and trip to prevent electrical shock or fire.
First, we must understand a circuit breaker is a thermal magnetic device that does two main functions. It protects against overload and short circuit protection, either way most of the time when the breaker (trips) it has done its job.
Stack electric is a service and repair electrical company. We come across tons of breaker issues and most of the time the breaker is doing its job protecting you and your family.
Listed below in point form is a breakdown of the four most common reasons for breakers to trip but not limited to these four basic reasons. Other issues are way more involved and would need to be looked at by a licensed electrician to ensure proper diagnoses are done correctly to resolve your issues.
- Short Circuit: When a live wire touches a neutral wire, it causes an excess flow of electricity and heat, leading to the breaker tripping. Checking and unplugging appliances can help you find the source of the short circuit.
- Circuit Overload: Overloading a circuit with too many devices can exceed its capacity, causing the breaker to trip as a safety precaution. It’s essential to distribute your electrical devices across different circuits to prevent overloads.
- Arc Fault: Modern AFCI (Arc-Fault Circuit Interrupter) breakers will trip when they detect an arc to prevent electrical fires. These are more common in newer homes, as they are a recent requirement in electrical codes.
- Damaged Breakers: Breakers can wear out and may need to be replaced. Signs of a damaged breaker include tripping without cause or an inability to reset the breaker.This one you would more than likely want Stack Electric to help with.
Most electrical issues are straight forward but rest assured a tripped breaker means your electrical equipment is doing its job and you are protected against fire and shock issues. Need future help Call Stack Electric Ontarios’s first choice for electrical service and repair 905-512-9428 We are experts at breaker panel upgrades in Hamilton, call us!
