Electricity is an important aspect of your Minneapolis home, so when the electrical breakers are constantly being tripped, it isn’t good. Tripping electrical breakers is a headache for people working from home and family just wanting a relaxing evening. If resetting your breaker doesn’t work, you will have to find out what is wrong with your circuit breakers. The good news is that there are three main common issues with tripping circuit breakers.
Circuit overload
An overloaded circuit happens when there is too much electricity, measured in amps, goes through one specific circuit. As a safety measure, the circuit flips off to avoid an electrical fire. However, there is still the issue of the circuit tripping. Fixing an overload will take some checking. Try allocating appliances to different circuits and checking for warm outlets. Warm outlets will let you know that too much electricity is going through, and it should be switched to a different circuit. If it doesn’t work, call your electrician.
Short circuit
A short circuit happens when a live wire, with electricity running through it, touches a neutral wire, without electricity running through it. It usually happens when wiring is loose, broken, or improperly installed. This one is more difficult to identify than a circuit overload because the issues are coming from the wiring inside the circuit breakers. If the wrong wires are touching, the heat from electricity going where it isn’t supposed to will be in the wall and will start an electrical fire if not fixed. To identify a short circuit, reset your breaker and see how long it takes to trip again. If it trips right away, it will probably be a short circuit. This will need to be fixed by a professional to keep you and your family safe.
Ground fault
A ground fault is similar to a short circuit, but instead of touching a neutral wire, the live wire touches the metal ground wire or the metal outlet box. The metal conducts electricity, creating surges in the circuit breaker. Ground faults are most likely to occur in places with more moisture, like kitchens and bathrooms. This issue is very difficult to identify, but if you are having issues that are similar to a short circuit while not being that, it is probably a ground fault. It is very dangerous to fix a ground fault on your own. Please call your electrician to repair ground faults.
With the addition of electrical at Twin City Heating and Air, we are able to improve many systems in your home, including electrical. Contact us to schedule an appointment.
