The breaker is the safety device
A breaker trips to stop a wire from overheating or to cut power when something goes wrong. One trip after you ran the space heater and the microwave together isn't a crisis. A breaker that trips over and over is telling you something.
The three common causes
Most tripped breakers come down to one of these.
| Cause | What it looks like | Typical fix |
|---|---|---|
| Overload | Trips when several things run at once on one circuit | Move a load or add a dedicated circuit |
| Short circuit | Trips right away, sometimes with a pop or scorch mark | Find and repair the damaged wire or device |
| Ground fault | GFCI or breaker trips near water or outdoors | Find the wet or failing device or cord |
What you can safely check
Before you call, you can try a few things.
- Unplug everything on the circuit, then reset the breaker. Turn it fully off, then back on.
- Plug things back in one at a time. If one item trips it every time, that item is likely the problem.
- Check for a tripped GFCI outlet in the kitchen, bath, garage or outside. One GFCI can protect several outlets down the line.
When to stop and call
Call us if the breaker trips again with nothing plugged in, won't reset, feels hot, or if you smell burning or see scorch marks on an outlet or the panel. Those point to a wiring or panel problem, not just too much plugged in.
We're open 24 hours, 7 days a week. If something is smoking or sparking, shut off the main if it's safe to do so and call.
What we do on a breaker call
We test the circuit, check the breaker and the connections in the panel, and trace the wiring to the outlets and fixtures on it. Once we know the cause, we tell you the fix and the price before we make it.
More on this work: Electrical Repairs & Service Calls
