Why Does My Circuit Breaker Keep Tripping?

Circuit Breaker Repair & Breaker Box Repair

Serving Portland – Beaverton – Newberg – Salem – Canby

A tripping circuit breaker is a warning signal that can mean one of three things: a circuit overload, a short circuit, or a ground fault.

The function of a circuit breaker is to shut off the flow of electricity through a circuit when there’s a problem. Investigating and identifying the reason why it keeps tripping is essential.

Does Your Circuit Breaker Continue to Trip Frequently?

If you’re trying to operate too many appliances at once, it may overload the circuit and trip the circuit breaker repeatedly. In this situation, running fewer devices at once will help make sure your circuit breaker doesn’t shut off. Getting an upgrade may be required to operate the number of components you’d like simultaneously. However, if your circuit breaker is tripping without a significant amount of electrical components running on the same circuit, it could be due to a severe issue.

Is a Tripping Circuit Breaker Dangerous?

Your circuit breaker will trip if the flow of electricity gets too high in one of your circuits, which helps make sure the wires carrying power don’t overheat and start a fire. Unfortunately, there are also situations when a dangerous problem is causing your circuit breaker to trip, which can include the following:

Short Circuit

Having a breaker trip due to a short circuit occurs when a neutral, white wire touches a hot, black wire, which creates a sudden flow of electricity. It can also happen if you have a device with a wiring problem that’s plugged into the circuit. Diagnosing and fixing this type of problem is usually handled best by utilizing the expertise and experience of a professional.

Ground Fault

Another type of short circuit, which is known as a ground fault, happens when a hot wire touches a metal wall box or ground wire. Having this occur in an area where there’s moisture can be extremely dangerous. Water can act as a conductor for electricity, which raises the probability of getting shocked.

Arc Fault

In the last few years, people have started using AFCI breakers. This type of breaker will trip due to common problems, such as ground faults, short-circuits, and capacity overloads. It will also trip if a power fluctuation occurs due to arcing, which might be caused by loose screw terminal connections. Having an electrical expert check your system is a good idea if you have an AFCI breaker that continues to trip. There may be wiring problems that need to be addressed.

Having a skilled electrical professional diagnose your situation is always a wise choice when you’re having a problem with a circuit breaker that keeps tripping.

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