When you have a tripped breaker, it has stopped the flow of electricity to a certain circuit in your home in order to protect the circuit from overheating and causing damage. You can usually tell your breaker is tripped because an appliance or device will suddenly turn off.
Do you know what could be causing this to happen? Let’s outline the three main causes and their solutions.
Overloaded Circuits
This is the most common cause of a tripped breaker and will happen if you have too many things plugged into the same circuit. When the circuit is attempting to draw a greater electrical load than it’s supposed to, it will trip to prevent itself from overheating.
The solution to this problem is simple: don’t plug so many things into one circuit! If your circuit blows often, try moving some items to other circuits. If that doesn’t work, your home may have too few circuits and it’s time to call an electrician to get a service upgrade.
Short Circuit
This is less common but is a very serious issue for your electrical system. It’s caused by a sudden, unimpeded current of electricity, which occurs when a hot wire carrying a current and a neutral wire touch each other. It can also occur when you use high-powered electrical devices, your wires are damaged or exposed, or when the power surges back on after a power outage.
If you find melted cords plugged into the circuit, they could be at fault. You can also try turning everything off and back on one at a time to see which appliance or device is at the root of the issue. If these simple fixes don’t help, call an electrician to help you.
Ground Fault Surges
This will occur if a hot wire touches a ground wire made of bare copper or the side of a metal outlet box connected to the ground wire. It is another serious problem, especially if it occurs near water.
Check for discoloration around your outlet to locate the root of the problem. Otherwise, calling an electrician is the safest
No matter the cause of your tripped breaker, the best solution is always to call an electrician to examine the problem for you so you do no harm to your home or to yourself. If you need assistance with tripped breakers, you can call us for help at 701-232-1991 or visit our website!