A circuit breaker is a device in your electrical panel that is designed to trip or break the circuit when it is overloaded. A damaged input wire or faulty circuit breaker, short circuit, GFCI, and Circuit Overload are the major causes of the breaker keep tripping.
Circuit breakers play a curricular role in ensuring safety and efficiency. So, in this article, we are going to describe the reasons why does my breaker keep tripping with nothing plugged in and how to fix it.
How to find out why your circuit breaker is tripping?
There are a few reasons why your breaker keeps tripping with nothing plugged in. The main purpose of the circuit breaker is to control the flow of electricity through the electrical circuits. However, the circuit breaker works as the protection of your home from any big loss.
Now, we will discuss the reasons behind the circuit breaker tripping. Also, we give you the solutions on how to fix them. However, it is best suggested that you also contact an experienced and licensed professional electrician to find out the right reason.
Identify the Circuit:
- First of all, turn off all the lights, appliances, and electrical devices.
- Now, come across the main circuit breaker and open the cover.
- Reset the main circuit breaker by turning it off and on the button.
- Start by turning on each circuit manually to see which one trips the breaker.
- After you’ve determined which circuit it is, you are able to focus on troubleshooting the issue.
One of the major causes is the overload of the current. When the circuit by plugging too many things in draws too many amps of power and the breaker is designed to trip. Now, if your breaker is rated at 20 amps. it’s only designed to run at 80 percent of its rating continuously.
So, a 20-amp breaker is only capable of running 16 amps for a long period of time. It can handle up to 20 amps for a very short period of time but the breaker will build up too much heat inside and then the bimetal will trip.
The circuit breakers are designed with their specific capacity. If the current passes with high capacity you can fix it with several steps.
- First, it’s essential to address the issue of which electrical object gained the most power.
- High-powered appliances could require to be switched to separate circuits.
- Also, upgrade your electrical system, identify the number of applications that use electricity, and redistribute the load accordingly.
Note: If the circuit breaker continues tripping without any current Circuit Overload consult the professional immediately.
Mostly the tripping problem occurs when a hot wire in a circuit connects with another wire or the ground or the neutral. Either the wires touching it directly or through arcing. As a result, it can create an overload of electricity in the circuit.
Short circuits can happen due to damage or frayed wire, loose wire, loose connections, or aged wiring. An unexpected path taken by a short current can result in a fast electric current flow that is more than what the wires can support.
It is essential to fix it immediately if there is a chance of shocks and fires.
- Identify the short circuits by observing if the circuit breaker trips when a specific appliance is plugged in or if it trips even without any appliances connected.
- Use the circuit tracer transmitter and receiver to locate the exact position of the shorted wire, even if it’s behind a wall.
- Turn off the primary breaker in your breaker panel after locating the damage.
- Remove the shorted wire from the breaker panel and outlet, using a flexible wire to aid in reinstallation.
- Inspect the damaged wire and replace it entirely if it has burn marks along its length. Consider using a higher gauge wire if necessary.
- If the damage is due to a rodent bite, replace the damaged section and add additional protection.
- Cut off the damaged wire, strip a section of both ends and cut a new wire of equal length.
- Connect the new wire to the existing cables using butt connectors and provide extra protection with heat shrink tubing.
- Reinstall the repaired wire by attaching the flexible wire to the breaker side and connecting it to the circuit breaker.
- Ensure everything is securely in place and turn on the primary circuit breaker.
Note: Handling the electric short is not a DIY task. So, to prevent the big loss consult a professional electrician to fix it.
Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter:
Ground wires, grounding boxes, or devices may come into contact with worn hot wires or hot wires that are partially seated into their terminals. If improper wiring allows current to go straight to the ground, power tools or appliances without enough insulation may result in a ground fault.
GFCI is designed to control the imbalance between the current flow but they are also tripped due to the ground fault. In simple words, a ground fault cause is similar to a short circuit. The usual causes of ground faults include conductive dust, water, worn insulation, or other soft grounds.
As you know outlets that are located in wet areas, unlike the home breakers the GFCI is integrated into the outlet itself when you plug in an application.
- You are using the appliance when the GFCI trips first you will want to unplug all the appliances on this circuit. You will find that the reset button is sticking out a little further than normal indicating that this outlet has been tripped.
- To reset the GFCI simply push the reset button in nice times out of ten. Now, you hit the reset button and it pushes in initially but then trips again immediately. This usually means that there is something on that circuit that is causing the GFCI to trip and unplug all the appliances that are connected to that circuit.
- Once you have done that try resetting it and see what happens if it still won’t reset you will probably need to submit a service request. Again, you push the reset button and it will not reset. This indicates there is no power to the outlet or the GFCI itself has failed before submitting a service request. You can check to see if the breaker has tripped in the main electrical panel. If the breaker is ripped, then the GFCI will not reset.
- Locate the electrical panel and reset the breaker simply flip the breaker to the off position then flip it back to the position. If breakers stay in the position, then go ahead back to the GFCI. You will notice that the indicator light is now on when you press the reset button.
Note: You can handle the problem DIY but If it continuously trips, then it’s time to submit a service request to the professional electricians.
Weak Circuit Breaker:
If you have the old circuit breaker, then that may be the reason for the tripping. Over time maybe it’s not able to carry the current that it controlled with capacity. So, if you have a 20-amp breaker to run 16 amps continuously and it trips. It may be 5 amps or 10 amps.
- If you have a breaker that is going, then you definitely should replace, test, or upgrade it quickly.
- You can also seek suggestions and guidance from experienced electricians according to your circuit breaker.
Note: To prevent future issues it is better to replace with a new one if necessary.
If you have gone through all the troubleshooting steps but the problem still persists. You will check all wire connections, damaged wires, or faulty wires that could be causing the tripping. Over time, the electrical wiring in the circuit breaker can become damaged due to fraying or other factors.
If you are unable to find the cause, we recommend that you contact a professional electrician to assess and repair the problem. Experts have high-quality tools with which they can easily detect hidden defects.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q. Is a breaker bad if it keeps tripping?
No, you could not consider it a breaker bad. Maybe it is a sign of a short circuit, or current overloaded. So, consult the electrician and do not ignore it.
Q. What are the signs of a bad breaker?
There are a few signs of a bad breaker, one of which is a burning electrical odor from your panel.
- Frequent tripping
- Tripping without a load
- Physical damage (cracks or burns)
- Tripping in different rooms simultaneously
- Difficulty resetting
- The age of the breaker
- Buzzing sounds
Q. Why does a breaker trip after 30 minutes?
Generally, causes of your breaker include circuit overload, short circuit, or ground fault.
Q. Is it dangerous if the circuit breaker keeps tripping?
Yes, this is detrimental to the potential for fire hazards. So, if your breaker keeps tripping and there are no signs of underlying problems. You should consult an electrician to diagnose and fix the problem.
Q. Why do circuit breaker trips at night?
To trip the breakers at night is a sign of an increased electrical load in the evenings.
- Identify which object you use at night with a high voltage rather than in the daytime.
- A further possibility is that one of your electrical circuits has a problem.
- It might also be caused by an issue with your electrical panel or a malfunctioning circuit breaker.
Q. Why does the breaker only trip in one room?
If the circuit breaker trips in a particular location or room that means the circuit is overloaded. Many applications in a room are connected to a circuit.
Why my breaker keeps tripping with nothing plugged in is really a perplexing problem. Hopefully, you can identify and resolve the problem by understanding the reasons for the tripping. However, we suggest you hire an experienced electrician if you are unable to resolve the problem.