Circuit breakers are vital components of your electrical system. Along with fuses, they help to protect your home from fires. They stop the flow of power through the circuit if there’s a fault in the electrical system. Circuit breakers have a bimetallic strip that detects overcurrent and protects your electrical wires from overheating. They trip when there’s a sudden surge of current in a short span of time.
Reasons Why Circuit Breakers Trip
Caught in a sudden power outage and don’t know what’s going on? Your circuit breaker may have tripped. You could reset the circuit breaker if it’s not damaged. Before you do that, you must understand why the circuit breaker trips. Circuit breakers trip when there’s an overloaded circuit, a short-circuit or a ground fault. Let’s understand these situations in detail.
Overloaded Circuit
Overcurrent occurs when your appliances draw current higher than the maximum strength. When too much electricity runs through the conductor, the circuit breaker trips to prevent overheating and damage to the electrical system. For example, if you run 2 or more hair dryers on the same circuit the fuse may blow. To solve the problem, don’t run all high power-consuming devices on the same circuit. Sometimes an appliance itself may overheat and draw excess power from the system. This could also lead to an overload.
Short Circuit
A short circuit happens when wires cross. When wires cross, they release more current and they overheat the circuit. If you smell something burning at your power outlet, you’ve probably got a short-circuit. A short-circuit could either lie in the electric wires within the wall or in the appliance that was plugged in when the breaker tripped.
Ground Fault
When a hot wire comes in contact with a ground wire or the grounded part of an electrical appliance, a ground fault occurs. This makes the circuit breaker trip. Ground faults generally happen when the wires are not properly insulated or if your insulation is damaged by water or moisture. Make sure your appliances are not kept in moist or damp environments to avoid this. A combination circuit breakers offer ground fault protection. They constantly measure electricity that flows through the circuit.
What to Do When the Circuit Breaker Trips?
If the circuit breaker trips because of an overload, unplug devices that are consuming a lot of power and reset the circuit. If the cause is a short-circuit, find out if the short-circuit is in the wiring or in the appliance. Call an electrician if you smell something burning. If there’s a ground fault problem, you will have to replace your ground fault circuit interrupter. If nothing looks damaged, reset the RCD and test the circuit.
Domestic Electrical Services
If you need an emergency electrician in West Melbourne, get in touch with the professionals at O'Brien Electrical Yarraville. We are 24 hour electricians in Melbourne. If you need to fix your wiring or bring back your power, we can help. No job is too big or small for us. From design and installation to maintenance and repair, we cover it all. We have the expertise to make sure your electrical systems are free from all errors. Whether you need an electrician in Williamstown, Footscray or Port Melbourne, give us a call on 1300 761 024. Alternatively, you can visit us online to look up our services.