Circuit Breaker Tripping Off

Circuit breakers are made to trip off whenever too much electricity is detected in the electrical lines that are being protected. Circuit breakers will typically trip off under the following circumstances:

  1. A circuit is shorted
  2. A circuit is overloaded
  3. Something damages the circuit breaker

Short Circuits

Two electrical wires coming into contact with each other can cause a short circuit. When this happens, your circuit breakers are designed to trip off in order to protect your electrical system. If you have an older system with fuses, this will cause a fuse to blow.

When troubleshooting a short circuit, think about what happened immediately before the circuit shorted out. If you just plugged something in or turned something on, for instance. This will most often lead you to the cause of the short circuit.

If you had just plugged in your vacuum, for example, start by unplugging the vacuum. After you have unplugged the appliance, re-set the circuit breaker or replace your fuse. If everything runs normally, this indicates that the problem is not with your electrical system. It may be time to get a new vacuum, however!

If you are unable to find a specific appliance or other electrical item that caused the problem, then you should call a local electrical to find and fix the short circuit.

Overloaded Circuit

When there is too much power flowing through a particular electrical circuit, it can cause that circuit to overload.  In order to protect that circuit, your circuit breakers are designed to detect any overloads and trip off. To fix an overloaded circuit, simply lower the number of appliances plugged into an overloaded circuit. If you find yourself needing to plug in more things, talk to an electrician about adding more circuits.

Broken Circuit Breaker

As a part of their natural life cycle, circuit breakers will eventually require replacement. If you are experienced in electrical work, then you can probably perform this task yourself. If you are not, speak with an electrician.

Circuit Breaker Tripping Off in San Diego
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