Why Your Circuit Breaker Keeps Tripping

Why Your Circuit Breaker Keeps Tripping

A circuit breaker is a switch that protects an electrical circuit from excess current. Essentially, if the current passing through a circuit is greater than what the circuit is designed to handle, the current can damage the circuit. This damage can result in an electrical fire. When excess current is detected, the circuit breaker trips to stop the flow.

Repeated tripping means the cause of the excess current is not a one-time power surge; it means there’s a problem with your electrical work. Continue reading to see what this problem might be.

Overload

This is the most common cause of repeated circuit breaker trips. Circuits are designed to allow only a specific number of amps to flow through them. If the current flowing through a circuit exceeds this upper limit, your circuit breaker will trip.

If too many appliances are getting their power from a single circuit, the current flowing through the circuit will overload it. In response, the circuit breaker will trip. However, the demand on and current flowing through the circuit won’t change until you unplug some appliances. Until you unplug them, your circuit breaker will keep tripping.

one pole circuit breaker

Appliances

While too many appliances can demand too much electricity from your circuits, a malfunctioning appliance can do the same. Consider the case of faulty wiring. If there’s something wrong with your appliance’s wiring, the appliance may start demanding more electricity from your circuit. The increase in amps flowing through your current may overload it and cause your circuit breaker to trip.

In this situation, there’s nothing wrong with your electrical work. Instead, your appliance is the source of the issue. You should either get it repaired, replaced, or stop using it altogether. Otherwise, your circuit breaker won’t stop tripping.

Short Circuit

A short circuit occurs when there is a low-resistant connection between two electrical conductors. In other words, if electricity is passing through the circuit faster than it should be, you have a short circuit. This can occur if a hot wire touches a neutral wire that isn’t designed to carry the hot wire’s current.

If a short circuit is detected, your circuit breaker will trip. It will keep tripping until you fix the loose wires so that they’re flowing through the designed circuit.

A repeatedly tripping circuit breaker is a sign that there’s something wrong with your home’s electrical network. It’s also a sign that you should call a professional. The causes of repeated tripping mean the electrical problem will not go away on its own and requires a professional electrician’s assessment.

If you’re in Texas, contact RHK Electrical. They offer electrical repairs by professional electricians in Magnolia, the Woodlands, Katy, and more locations throughout Texas. Get in touch, and they’ll get remedy the source of your circuit breaker’s incessant tripping.

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