A circuit breaker is a device that prevents electrical damage. By cutting off the electrical flow to an overheated or damaged circuit, the circuit breaker dismantles any fire that may break out by a short circuit. This function of a circuit breaker makes it absolutely essential for homes and commercial lighting. When heated, the circuit breaker shuts down automatically showing a red tripping alert. But there are times when you encounter a rogue circuit breaker one that keeps tripping down. It can be annoying to reset it again and again but it will serve you well to find out the cause behind it. The circuit breaker can trip at regular intervals due to any of the following reasons:
- Overloaded circuit: The overloading of a circuit is one of the most common reasons for frequent short-circuit tripping. It indicates that the household has many heavy power appliances that are being used at the same time on the same circuit. For instance, you have turned on the air conditioner while ironing at the same time, it is likely that the circuit breaker will trip, sort of alerting you. When heavy power appliances are used together on the same circuit, there is more electricity consumption creating an overload.
To overcome this problem, you can redistribute the power-consuming devices to a general-purpose circuit. Alternatively, you can turn off some of the appliances that are not in use to prevent overloading. Appliances that overheat can also trip the circuit breaker continuously indicating that they are using more AMPS than the standard appliances. Air conditioners that overheat can cause the circuit breaker to trip, for instance. - Short circuits: Short circuits are dangerous and can happen at any time. In almost all cases, electrical negligence is the reason. Circuit breaker tripping is also caused by short circuits. This happens when a hot black wire comes in contact with a neutral wire or another hot wire causing the circuit to overheat eventually leading to a short circuit. When these hot wires come in contact, they can generate a lot of heat signalling the circuit breaker to cut off the electricity flow. It is easy to spot a short circuit because it is accompanied by a burning smell. Check the electrical outlets and plugs for any heating signs or burning smells.
- Faulty ground wiring: Faulty ground wiring can lead to hot wires touching the ground wire on the metal outlet box. When this happens, it can cause the circuit breaker to trip. You will need to call in your electrician to handle this particular incident. In this case, resetting the circuit breaker will be a temporary solution. Finding the underlying cause is the way to fix the problem.
Heavy power appliances are often the causes behind circuit breaker tripping. To find out which appliance is responsible, you need to look at the switches closely. For future references, label the circuit breakers for easy diagnosis. Reset the circuit breaker by moving the handle down and up but not before giving it some time to rest. Remove all appliances that you think could have caused the problem. If the problem is frequent, change the circuit outlet with a good one from the best electrical companies in India.
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