Reasons Your Circuit Breaker Trips

Your Circuit Is Overloaded

The most common reason for circuit breaker trips is that your circuit gets
overloaded. You may have more electrical load then your home can handle
running through the circuit. This overload will automatically cause your
circuit breaker to trip. One way to stop this from happening is to redistribute
appliances such as lamps and TV’s throughout the home.

However, things such as microwaves and other kitchen appliances that use
a lot of power should remain in the kitchen where it has likely been wired
for the heavier electrical use. You can also unplug or turn off appliances
when you are not using them. If you are still experiencing the problem
you may need to look at having your panel upgraded. Call your qualified
electricians in Virginia Beach!

Short Circuiting

Short circuiting can be another reason for constant switching off. This
happens when hot wires touch neutral wires. It may also occur if one wire
in the circuit has a break. Short circuiting can be a serious issue as
it is usually caused by a wiring problem, either in your home or in an
appliance. Finding the problem can take a lot of time, for this particular
problem you will want to call a qualified electrician so that they can
assess your homes circuit breaker and wiring and make upgrades where needed.

Ground Fault

If your hot wire is touching the bare copper wire called the ground wire,
or any other type of metal such as the metal box your circuit breaker
is kept in, this can cause what is called a ground fault. You can check
that the hot wire is not touching either of these things; if it is touching,
call a qualified electrician rather than try and fix the issue yourself.
This may lead to more damage to your electrical system or safety issues
for yourself.

If your circuit breaker is aging or constantly shorting out you may need
to look at updating or replacing the panel. Call our electricians in Virginia
Beach at American Mechanical Inc.