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Should I be concerned if my breaker is tripping continuously?
As homeowners it is easy for issues to arise in our homes that feel like huge hurdles to jump through. It is difficult having to figure out how to solve the problem and who to trust when you need a professional. Here are a few pointers from our licensed and bonded company if your breaker keeps tripping.
What is causing this?
Circuit breakers serve an important function which is to prevent wires, terminations, and screws from overheating due to overload. If your breaker is tripping it is a sign that one of your circuits is being overloaded on a regular basis. This issue could also be caused by a ground fault or a short circuit. Common causes for the tripping may be plugging in seasonal appliances, such as fans during the summer or space heaters in the colder months. If you are close to the limit of overload, even something as simple as a waffle maker in the kitchen or a hair dryer in the bathroom could cause a trip in the circuit breaker.
Can this issue cause a fire?
YES. Since your circuit breaker can only handle a certain amount of voltage the tripping is caused by an overload.
Is it safe to reset a breaker that is repeatedly tripping?
When this issue is recurrently happening, no. If your circuit breaker is repeatedly tripping or it has tripped once and you attempt to reset it and it automatically shuts off, please promptly call an electrician to look at the issue.
There are times that breakers trip through a false overload, usually through an appliance that has been plugged in with a heating element. In those instances it is okay to attempt to reset it yourself but, if the problem persists promptly contact an electrician.
How is this issue repaired?
Have a licensed electrician make sure the breaker is in a properly functioning state. If the issue is found to be the breaker, it should be replaced and the tripping should be resolved. If your breaker is functioning properly and the problem persists, you are mostly experiencing circuit overload. A quick solution is to move the appliance in question to another circuit for immediate use. Many times, that is not a practical solution for daily life. In that instance, you will want an electrician to come out and add a dedicated circuit to increase your overload capacity. This is a guaranteed solution and will have your problem completely eliminated and your system running at 100% for your specific needs.