Whether talking about your home or a business, there is an electrical system that delivers power to each area of the building. You may recognize this system as a small box, typically located in a basement or storage area.
A circuit breaker is basically a safety feature that can help prevent electrical fires and other electrical-related injuries. Read on to find out everything you could need to know about circuit breakers.
How Does a Circuit Breaker Work?
As mentioned above, a circuit breaker is a safety mechanism. Whether in a home or business setting, you are going to find a circuit breaker somewhere in the building. It is necessary to prevent electrical fires and other electrical-related injuries. It actually works in a pretty simplistic way when you get to know the system.
There are several breakers inside of your electrical panel with each one designed to protect the circuit it has been assigned to. Each of the breakers is designed to “trip”, which basically means that it shuts itself off. There are different-sized breakers that go to the corresponding box. The breaker opens the circuit, which stops the flow of current to that line or circuit.
Why Do Breakers Trip?
There are more than a few reasons why circuit breakers trip. There are generally three reasons why and we’ll take a closer look at each. Just remember that the breakers trip in order to offer protection to the circuit, preventing additional voltage from reaching the circuit and its corresponding devices.
Ground fault. For areas where there is more moisture – think the kitchen and bathroom – ground faults can cause your breakers to trip. Most electrical codes require GFCIs to offer additional protection in these situations.
Short circuit. Short circuits typically happen where there is some sort of exposure, typically from a wire. Wiring issues, usually with an appliance, can cause excess current to be pulled. If you see exposed wires, never touch them because it can lead to a dangerous electrical shock.
Overloaded circuit. The most common reason for a tripped breaker. If you have too many devices on one circuit, it can cause more electrical current than the circuit can handle to be pulled in. This generally happens through the use of a power strip where each plug has been occupied.
Resetting a Breaker
When you’ve identified the issue – maybe it’s as simple as unplugging a device – you need to reset the breaker in order to turn on that circuit again. If there has been a power surge or outage, the breaker could possibly trip as well. From there, you need to know how to reset that breaker and restore power to the circuit.
Open the door to the electrical panel and you should see the breaker switches. Most electrical boxes are labeled, telling you what each circuit goes to. If the switch wiggles, it has probably tripped. Flip it from the “OFF” position to the “ON” position. Most of the time, this should reset the breaker but there is a chance that it could trip again.
Regular Breaker Tripping
What happens if you have a breaker that trips on a regular basis? There are a few reasons for this but one of the primary reasons is that the breaker itself may be damaged. This is typically the most logical reason but the circuit itself could be damaged.
If you have a breaker that trips regularly, call in a qualified electrician. You don’t want to mess with anything that has an electrical current because of the potential safety issues that a situation like that presents.
