Surprising common causes why a breaker trips

Our surprising common causes why a breaker trips

Electrical issues in a home may be surprising at times we laid down some common causes why a breaker trips. A breaker trip comes as a result of a circuit attached to your circuit breaker exceeding safe parameters. Here are the top five common causes why a breaker to trip overloads, short circuiting, ground faults, appliance failure, and storms may cause your circuit to flip.

Overloads

Since breakers have a safety limit built in you may have too many appliances or outlets overloading the circuit. This is a more common issue with in a home. When you overload a circuit as more the items powered in your home draw to much amperage exceeding on the circuit. The safe limit of the breaker trips the supply on the circuit this causes an overloaded circuit. One cause of more than 40,000 residential fires is attributed by overloaded circuits in the United States. If you find yourself using extension cords or multiple plug adaptors to a plug consider having an electrician install more outlets or on a new or different branch circuits to handle the demand of power.

Short circuiting

A short circuit happens when a hot live wire comes in contact with other hot wires. This sometimes can be seen on outlets in the home. The blackening around an outlet or a burnt smell could indicate a short circuit. When this happens, turn off power to the circuit and call in for an expert.

Ground fault

A ground fault occurs when a ground wire touches a hot live wire. Handle this problem as the same manner as a short circuit.

Appliance failure

As an appliance ages the components tend to fail over time. This can cause overloading to the circuit as the faulty appliance can draw more power than intended and can initiate an overload of the circuit. If the appliance is hotter than usual it may be time to replace the appliance.

Storms

Lightning strikes can travel across electrical lines and into your home, this can blow one or more of your breakers in one swift jolt. If you can’t get the power back on, just to be safe it would be a wise choice to call in an expert for repair to look for burnt wires.

Why does my breaker trip on my A/C unit?

Although it may be common for a breaker to trip due to a loose connection or result of a thunderstorm it is important to try to reset it “one time” by turning it off all the way and flipping it back on. Since breakers are a safety device as they are designed not only to protect the equipment but wiring and home as well. This problem should be taken seriously. If the breaker trips immediately after resetting it the circuit is telling you there is a problem. This is generally indicated by a direct short. Do not try to reset it again since time has come to investigate the problem with in the circuit.

If the breaker feels hot to the touch this indicates a problem to be not ignored. Remember you are dealing with high voltage and amperage which can cause serious damage to property and life.

Your A/C appliance may be causing the breaker to trip. A hard start of the compressor trying to kick on may be causing the breaker to trip. A simple fix of a “hard start kit would repair this issue by replacing the faulty capacitor on the outside unit.

Other issues such as a weak compressor, under-sized breaker or wire, defective breaker, loose breaker, loose electrical connection, weak capacitor, or a locked up motor or compressor may cause the electrical circuit to trip.

Don’t ignore a tripped breaker schedule your appliance repair today.