Your circuit breaker is an important part of your home. It works hard to make sure the power that is sent through your home’s electrical wiring is regulated. This regulated electricity is sent through different circuits throughout your home. The purpose of your circuit breaker tripping is to help your home avoid hazard and electrical fire that may occur from an overload on your electrical system.
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.