Your day is going just like any other when all of a sudden, the power goes out. Any issues with the electrical workings in your home are enough to cause some stress. What’s wrong? When will the power come back on? The likely cause is a tripped circuit breaker. When a breaker trips it’s because a circuit connected to your breaker has exceeded its safe parameters. You will know it’s happened if an appliance losses power or you’ve lost power to a specific area of your home. Burley Electrical Services outlines some common causes of tripping breakers to help you solve this problem quickly.

Common Reasons a Circuit Breaker Keeps Tripping

1. Overloaded Circuit. The most common reason a breaker has tripped is a circuit overload. This indicates that too much stuff is loaded on a breaker. Each breaker has a “safe limit” of power it can take to work the appliances and home. When this “safe limit” is exceeded, the breaker will trip. This can happen when newer appliances exceed the power that a breaker can provide.
2. Short Circuiting. This occurs when an active or “hot” wire contacts another active wire. For example, when a 120 hot contacts another 120 hot, you will notice blackening around the outlet or it will smell burnt. If this does happen, do not touch the outlet. Leave the breaker tripped and call an electrician.
3. Ground Fault. A ground fault occurs when a fault is trying to “ground” your wires. A ground fault is a lot like a short circuit, but not exactly the same. They are different in that a ground fault occurs when hot wires contact your grounding wire. This will cause the safe grounding of the outlet to be dangerous and will void it. You will need to contact an electrician in this situation too.
4. Appliance Failure. When a faulty appliance draws more power than it should, an overload will be initiated. These failures are connected to overloading, damage, faulty or an incompatible appliance. If a breaker trips, check all the appliances that are connected to that breaker. If the breaker is hotter than it normally is, the problem might be with the appliance and not the outlet or breaker.
5. Storms. All it takes is a lighting strike to a nearby electric cable or your home itself to kill all the breakers in your home. But it may only affect one or two. It will usually only last as long as the storm is active, but if you can’t get the power to come back on once the storm has stopped, you should call an electrician.
It’s good idea to know where the electrical panel is located in your home. The electrical panel is divided into sections of circuit breakers that connect the electricity that is supplied to different areas in your home. You will know which one tripped because it will be facing opposite the other switches. All you need to do flip it back to the OFF position and then to ON position.

Electrical Troubleshooting, Diagnosis, Emergency Repairs & More in Pompano Beach, Imperial Point, Plantation, Deerfield Beach, Boca Raton, Davie, Lighthouse Point, Parkland & Fort Lauderdale, Florida

If you have a breaker that keeps tripping, don’t ignore it. There might be a greater electrical problem in your home. If you need excellent service for any electrical work, contact Burley Electrical Services today!