Owning a home can be an exciting time and a stressful time. In some instances, things start to break down without any forewarning. Some area that can drive a homeowner crazy is when electrical items start to get finicky and break down. Most homeowners are not trained on the electrical system so a professionally licensed electrician is necessary. They are trained for finding reasons why your circuit breaker trips. How to find what is tripping my circuit breaker? Electricians can see if it is being caused by overloads, short circuits, or ground faults.
Let’s take a look below at some more information regarding circuit breakers.
What Is An Overload?
Circuit breaker overload is a very common occurrence in your electrical system. The circuit breaker will trip to ensure that your appliances don’t get damaged and you don’t get electrocuted. To prevent this from happening, hire a licensed electrician to update the wiring in your home. Also, they can add additional circuits to reduce the load. Additionally, having multiple circuits allows you to use multiple appliances at once.
What Are Short Circuits?
Short circuits occur when a hot wire touches another hot wire, a neutral wire, or a ground wire. As the circuit is operational, electrical currents flow from the electrical panel to the hot wire that is connected to the appliance or electrical outlet. Then the current is sent back to the panel through the neutral wire. When the hot and neutral wires come into contact with each other, the electrical current will take a “shortcut” back to the panel. Also, this is one-way house fires or electric shocks occur.
What Is A Ground Fault?
Ground faults occur when a hot wire touches a non-current carrier of the electrical circuit. For example, a metal box or a pipe. Having the electrical system connected to a ground wire sends that excess electricity through a purposeful path. Ground-fault circuit interrupters (GFCI) are meant to keep ground faults from occurring and eliminate any safety hazards. Ground faults will send electricity through anything it touches and if you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time, you will get electrocuted.
Recommended Maintenance
Now that you know about what is tripping the circuit breaker, there are a few other areas to pay attention to. One of those is double-tapped breakers. Take a look inside the electrical panel. If you have two wires that come out of one breaker, that isn’t a good thing. However, it can be fixed.
Next, if you have a new dryer, you may need to know the size of the wire that is needed. The wire size will vary based on the manufacturer’s design for the amps needed to operate the dryer. You also may need to install a 4-prong outlet.
Lastly, in many homes, there are GFCI-rated outlets. These are to prevent electrical shock and also electrical fires. You can have two GFCI outlets on the same circuit breaker to keep it from tripping.
When to Call a Professional?
Hiring a licensed electrician is an important step toward keeping your electrical systems intact and functioning properly. It is important to hire a reputable licensed electrician who understands the electrical code and how to ensure your family’s safety. Also, they can know how to find what is tripping your circuit breaker. Keep in mind, that electrical fires, accidents, and electrocution in a home happen to thousands of people each year.
Conclusion
Dealing with an electrical project is not something many homeowners would like to do. It is necessary to consult a licensed electrician to keep yourself safe. Reach out to your local home inspection team to inspect your entire electrical system. They can also recommend a local reputable licensed electrician to handle all of your electrical needs. Call on Boggs Inspection Services to get a home inspection of your electrical setup, completed in the Lacey, WA, and surrounding areas
