Why your appliances trip tour circuit breaker

10-15 mins to perform task

Do you constantly have this issue at home?

Are you aware of the dangers?

Have you tried resetting your circuit breaker at home?

If you answer yes to any of these questions, this article is for you.

Do you have a licensed electrician near you?

Electrical System of your home is important as electricity supplies almost every device on a day-to-day basis. Why should you ensure that the electrical system is operating safely? Well for starters, it is an issue that has caused the start of fires in households.

These are some steps to assess your electrical system

Check your Circuit Breaker – How to tell if the Circuit is Bad. 

• It may not reset
• There may be a pungent odor from the panel
• Dark scorch marks on a breaker, or on outlets are signs of damage
• The malfunction of the outlets, lights and noticing a strange surge of electricity in your appliances.
• Faulty appliances with broken wiring or a short in the outlets.

 Test for a Circuit Overload

A circuit breaker is a safety mechanism that keeps wires from overheating.
If your circuit breaker trips, it can be that each individual circuit is receiving too much current and it shuts down the system.

Firstly, identify the appliances that use a lot of electrical power. Are they on separate outlets? Are they on extensions?

If not, you may need to adjust to not cause an overload of the electricity on a certain outlet or if a potential appliance requires a lot of power for its use, it should be directly plugged to an outlet that is not shared by another.

It is highly suggested for a licensed electrician to perform this test.

The testing of your circuit by the following steps:

• Turning off the breaker and unplugging all devices
• Wait a few minutes and switch the breaker on
• Turn each device on one at a time and observe if the circuit trips – blinking of the lights if the lights of devices do not have a constant flow of electricity.

Did the breaker trip? If the answer is YES, the circuit is overloaded.

If the breaker box feels hot to touch. Contact an electrician immediately as you may be at risk for an electrical fire

How to Identify a Short Circuit 

• A short circuit is loose wires that has contact with wiring at home. It causes a surge of electricity which causes the breaker to constantly trip.

The Fixing of the Overloaded Circuit 

• Moving around appliances to regulate the power usage
• Seek professional advice if there is need to rewire the areas of the circuit trips

What Causes A Short Circuit?

• Overtime due to deferred maintenance
• Outdated wiring and new appliances
• Faulty or poor insulation may have pierced wiring
• Loose wires in appliances or outlets
• You can observe these around your home to identify the causes and then seek professional help

Another observation of spotting a short circuit, is the constant tripping of the breaker. If you have identified the outlet, it is advised to repair before an electrical fire occurs. The constant trying will lead to other problems, therefore in fixing one problem it will save you in the long run.

There is also need for the observation of a Ground Fault in older homes

• This is where the electricity shifts from its route and travels into the earth instead. The electrical flow is attracted to the ground as it works as a conductor that is attracted to metal and water. When electricity encounters the exposed metals of an outlet or water from a leaking pipe, it can alter path of electricity
• Therefore, when breaker trips in older homes, it is a call for concern.
• Modern wiring mechanism has alleviated this, however in older homes, the outlets, appliances, and switches must be regularly checked. This is one pointer, as modern appliances may require higher surges of electricity that the breaker may not be able to support.

How can a Ground Fault be fixed? 

• It is highly advised for an expert to repair the wiring as it can cause life threatening electrical injuries.
• An electrician will be able to guide on whether, the wiring or the outlet can be swapped to make the electricity flow without tripping the breaker.

Continue to be safe, be aware of occurrences like these in your home. You should never let electrical problems go unchecked and do not hesitate to get help, it can be a life and death situation when electrical fire transpires.

For your safety contact a local electrician near you.

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