Does your circuit breaker keep tripping? Do not just reset it and forget about it. Circuit breakers can protect your family and your home. So, fix the problem by following these suggestions.

Click. Darkness. Where is the flashlight?

We've all dealt with broken circuit breakers. They're frustrating and can happen at the most inconvenient time. Being licensed electricians, we've witnessed our fair share of broken breakers, whether they have been tripped or not.

Circuit breakers check the flow of electric current through the circuit. If it is greater than a set quantity, it will open the circuit and stops the flow of current. They're an integral part of your home's electrical systems. When they go off, they're trying to tell you something.

A few sporadic trips aren't anything to be worried about. If an electrical circuit breaker in your home continues to trip, this could mean something is not right.

Knowing if Your Circuit Breaker Is Tripping

If the breaker tripped, go to the electrical panel and then open the cover in the front. There will be two circuit breakers and, hopefully, nice labels that indicate which circuits they control. The majority of breakers are on, so you should look for one with the handle in a different place than the others.

Every breaker will have an "On" and "Off" position. If a breaker tripped, the handle will be at the middle and not off nor on. To reset the breaker, turn the handle to Off first, and then switch it to On. Make sure you stand to the left of the panel and rotate your back when flipping breakers. If you experience an arc flash, it could be life-saving.

Why Does My Circuit Breaker Keep Tripping?

Circuit breakers go off when there is too much electrical current flowing through the circuit breakers. Circuit breakers are evaluated based on the amount of power that is safe to flow through the circuit that they are protecting. If that's not enough, the breakers go off. A 20-amp breaker is activated when there are more than 20 amps of current present on the circuit.

Circuit breakers can trip due to three reasons.

• Overloads
• Short circuits
• Ground faults

Fixing a Circuit Breaker That Keeps Tripping

If the breaker continues to trip, check the cause and then solve the issue. Here are some ways to pinpoint the possible causes. Always contact an electrician licensed to assist when the problem becomes too complex.

Verify that there is no overload

Find out which part of your home the breaker that tripped is controlled, then turn it off and disconnect everything from the space: lights, microwaves, computers, everything. Turn on the breakers. If it goes off instantly even with no power plugged in, you've got a short and not an overflow.

If the circuit breaker does not work, then go back to the room, and start plugging things into and turning them on one at a time. After each item, you should stop and then proceed to the next. If the breaker is triggered again, you've exceeded the limit of the circuit. Distribute loads more evenly among circuits if feasible.

Find a short in an appliance

Shorts and ground faults may occur in appliances or any other electrical device if hot wires touch the housing.

Remember the last item that you plugged into when the breaker was triggered while looking to see if there was an overload? If you plug the device or appliance into another circuit, will this circuit also trigger? If so, disconnect the device as soon as you can, and don't utilize it until it's replaced or repaired.

Get an electrician on the phone for problems with grounding and shorts wiring

If the breaker goes off immediately after reset, regardless of whether it has been connected or on, it's probably the wiring in your home which is the cause. It could be due to an issue with the connection to an outlet or some other device or even something more complex such as worn insulation in the walls.

If you're knowledgeable and are able to determine what device is responsible for the short, you can replace the device or fix the problem with the loose wire. If you're not an expert or if you feel there are burn spots on the walls, you should call a licensed electrician. The same is true in case you've had repeated issues with flickering lights or trip breakers.

Electrical shocks and fires can be risky, while shorts, as well as ground faults, can be difficult to locate. An expert can identify and correct the problem and provide peace of mind.