Breaker Keeps Tripping? What to Do Before You Reset It Again

Every breaker is rated for a set amount of current, usually 15 or 20 amps on a household lighting and outlet circuit. The Electrical Safety Foundation (ESFI) explains that a breaker trips when the current goes past that rating, and that it can be reset once the problem has been resolved. The question is always what caused the extra current.

An overload is the most common reason. Too many things on one circuit draw more power than the wire is built for, and the breaker trips after a short delay, often seconds after the last appliance switches on. A short circuit or ground fault is different: power takes a path it should not, through damaged insulation, a loose wire or a faulty appliance, and the breaker usually trips instantly. Arc-fault (AFCI) and ground-fault (GFCI) breakers add another layer. ESFI notes that AFCIs trip when they sense arcing from damaged, overheated or stressed wiring, and GFCIs trip when current leaks toward a grounded path, which is why they are used near water.

Start in the room that lost power. Turn off lights and unplug lamps, heaters, chargers and appliances on that circuit. ESFI's home safety checklist advises bringing the demand down before you reset, because flipping a breaker back on under the same load only trips it again.

Go to the panel only if the floor is dry and the panel is not hot, wet, scorched or buzzing. A tripped breaker may sit in a middle position rather than fully OFF, so it can be hard to spot. Push it firmly to OFF, then back to ON. Do not remove the panel cover or touch anything inside it.

If the breaker holds, plug items back in one at a time and wait a minute between each. If it trips when one particular appliance starts, that appliance or its cord is the likely cause, or the circuit simply cannot carry it alongside everything else. Write down what was running when it tripped. That note will save time when you call.

The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) lists frequent tripping breakers or blowing fuses among the signs that you should call a qualified electrician. Leave the breaker off and call for help if any of these apply: it trips again with everything unplugged, it trips the moment you push it to ON, it will not reset at all, or it trips several times a week with only ordinary use.

Treat these signs as more serious: an outlet or switch plate that is warm or discolored, a burning or rubbery smell, buzzing or crackling from an outlet or the panel, sparks, a tingle when you touch an appliance, or lights that flicker and dim across the house. NFPA names each of them as a reason to call an electrician. If you see smoke or flames, or the smell is strong and getting worse, get everyone out and call 911 from outside.

A burning smell from the panel or the meter, or a panel that is wet, is not a homeowner job. Keep away from it. If you need the power cut and cannot do it safely, your electric utility can help.

Cold snaps in Indiana County and Westmoreland County bring out the space heaters, and that is when many circuits get pushed past their limit. A heater left running in a bedroom, plus a hair dryer or a microwave on the same circuit, is a classic trip. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) says to plug electric space heaters directly into a wall outlet, never into an extension cord or power strip, and to keep them at least three feet from bedding, drapes and furniture. NFPA advises using only one heat-producing appliance per outlet at a time.

Older housing adds to the strain. Census estimates put the median home in Indiana Borough at 1957, and many homes in Blairsville, Greensburg and Latrobe are of a similar age. ESFI notes that standard breakers began appearing in homes built in the 1960s, that fuses are common in older homes, and that a home older than 40 years, or one that has had a major renovation or large appliance added, should have its electrical system inspected. Kitchens, finished basements and added bathrooms often draw far more power than the original wiring was planned for.

If the same circuit trips every winter evening, moving one appliance to another circuit may solve it for now. When it keeps happening, the lasting fix is usually a new dedicated circuit installed by an electrician, not a workaround.

Never replace a breaker or fuse with a larger one to stop the tripping. The CPSC's guide to home wiring hazards warns against putting in a higher-ampere fuse or breaker when a circuit keeps blowing or tripping, and ESFI calls an oversized fuse a dangerous fire hazard. The breaker is sized to protect the wire, and a bigger one lets the wire overheat inside the wall.

Do not tape, wedge or hold a breaker in the ON position, run extension cords from another room to get around a dead circuit, open the panel, or keep resetting a breaker that trips right away. Each of these removes the protection that is warning you about a problem.

If the whole house or the whole street is dark, the problem is probably outside your home. Customers of West Penn Power and Penelec, the FirstEnergy companies that serve much of this area, can report an outage by phone, online or by text, using the contact options on the FirstEnergy website. FirstEnergy says to call 911 and stay at least 30 feet away from any downed power line.

If only some rooms are out, or lights in one part of the house get brighter while others go dim, the issue may be in the home's wiring or at the service connection. Turn off sensitive electronics and call your utility and an electrician.