There are 3 main reasons that are surprisingly common for your circuit breaker to begin tripping. You go to plug in something or reach to flip on a switch and nada, nothing happens.
Your circuit breaker has tripped again. Sure, you can just reset the circuit breaker each time it trips, or you can figure out the cause of the problem so you can fix it once and for all! If the power has gone off in a certain area of your home rather than a whole-house power loss, the problem may be a tripped circuit breaker.
Electrical circuits of your home are protected by either circuit breakers or fuses. All homeowners should know the location of their electrical panel or fuse box, and the opening should be easily accessible and not blocked by shelving, storage, or furniture.
This will save you time and effort if a circuit or fuse trips again. If there are two breakers or fuses for one area, such as the kitchen, take care to detail which part of the kitchen each of the two switches controls. If a circuit breaker trips because it has exceeded its maximum amperage, the switch handle will have moved between the on and off position and may show a red area alerting you that it has tripped.
To reset a tripped circuit breaker, turn off the breaker by moving the switch or handle to the off position, and then turn it back on. Rest the circuit breaker for a few minutes before unplugging and plugging items to determine what might have overloaded the circuit or caused the trip. If a circuit trips because it has been overloaded, you can try disconnecting something from the circuit and using another circuit for the electrical power instead.
Your washing machine or rangehood might ever be doing it. If you find the appliance causing the issue, ensure you keep it unplugged and take it to a licensed appliance repair technician for fixing. If you are still having issues or are unable to find the fault, it is highly recommended that you call a licensed and qualified electrician to come and inspect the issue.
It is always better to be on the safe side! Worried about your safety switches, need your safety switches inspected or need some help with an electrical issue? Give us a call on or complete our online contact form today!
Important: If you need an electrical job completed quickly, please phone us on 24 hours a day and talk to one of our staff. Short circuit 2. Ground fault 3. Circuit overload. What are the differences between a short circuit, a ground fault and a circuit overload? Short circuit If a fault causes the live and neutral wires somewhere in the circuit to come into contact, a large amount of current will flow and overload the circuit. Short circuits are dangerous because high levels of electricity can heat up the wiring and cause a fire.
You may also see sparks and smoke, or hear popping sounds. The circuit breaker has now cut power to the circuit until the issue can be resolved. A short circuit can be caused by a faulty electrical switch, outlet, appliance, plug or cord. You could try to trace the short circuit yourself to one of these culprits.
Live wires are usually brown, neutral wires are usually blue, and ground wires are usually striped green and yellow. When a live wire makes contact with an earth wire or earthed area, a surge of electrical current goes to the circuit breaker which trips.
Ground faults usually happen when equipment is faulty. Kitchens and bathrooms are especially dangerous for this reason. So, if you suspect you may have a ground fault, get it fixed immediately to prevent any accidents. Circuit overload An overloaded circuit usually occurs because too many appliances are plugged into the same circuit.
Extension leads often cause an overloaded circuit. Try to distribute your appliances more evenly and test again. Before you reset your fuse box or circuit breaker, go to that room and unplug all the items on the circuit. Now go back to the consumer unit, reset the breaker or fuse and wait a few minutes.
After a few minutes, take one of the items and plug it in, turn it on and test if the circuit breaks again. Systematically turn on or plug in each item in the circuit, one at a time, to test which is causing the overload. If not, it sounds like your appliance is faulty. Take a look at Kitchen Appliance Protection to see how it could help save you from the potential hassle and cost of unexpected problems.
To prevent circuit overloads in future, put your large appliances on their own, dedicated circuits. If circuit overloads keep happening in your home on a regular basis; in your kitchen, for example, you may need to install a new circuit and socket to handle the amperage load. This is a common one. All appliances in your home can wear out or develop a fault and circuit breakers are no different.
Warning signs of a faulty circuit breaker include:. This is no job for the casual home DIYer. Your fuse box or circuit breaker works by detecting any surges or unusual activity and then cutting off the flow of electricity through that circuit if it gets too high.
Call a professional. Before you reset the breaker, unplug any appliances.
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