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Breaker trips or fuse keeps blowing.

A licensed electrician should do all panel, wiring and insulation test work.

Customers put it like this

  • the breaker keeps tripping
  • it trips as soon as I reset it
  • I keep blowing fuses
  • it trips when the microwave runs
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Stop first if

  • It trips at once with everything unplugged or switched off.Stop resetting and leave it off until a licensed electrician checks the circuit.
  • There is heat, odor or water at the panel.Stay away from the panel and call a licensed electrician. Call the utility if water is reaching it.
  • A larger fuse or breaker has been fitted.Leave the circuit off and have a licensed electrician correct the size and look for the reason.
  • Smoke or arcing appears.Leave the area, call emergency services and make no more resets.
01

Ask on the call

6

Homeowner? These are the questions a good technician will ask you. Having the answers ready makes the first visit count.

  1. Does it trip right away, or after something runs for a while?
  2. What was running or starting when it tripped?
  3. Does it feed anything buried or outdoors, such as a well or yard light?
  4. How many times has it been reset so far?
  5. Has anyone changed a fuse or breaker to a larger size?
  6. Have you seen rust, water stains, heat marks or a burnt smell at the panel?
02

Bring

6
  • Clamp meter
  • Rated multimeter
  • Insulation-resistance tester
  • Voltage tester proven on a known source
  • Flashlight
  • Phone for photos
03

Check on site

6
  1. Record trip timing. A re-trip at once with loads off points toward a fixed wiring or device fault. A delayed trip after a load returns points toward overload.
  2. Allow one reset only, with loads off, then restore loads one at a time.
  3. With the door open and cover on, look for rust trails, staining, heat marks and burnt smell.
  4. Read plug fuse ratings and breaker sizes. Never fit a larger one. A breaker that holds says nothing about a heating joint.
  5. On buried runs, have a licensed electrician run an insulation test before another reset. Each re-energizing feeds the fault.
  6. A licensed electrician inspects stab and bus with the panel de-energized before re-seating or replacing a breaker.
04

Keep on the record

5
  • Trip timing and what was running
  • Breaker or fuse size and the load on it
  • Photos of rust, staining or heat marks, cover on
  • Insulation test results with tester, conditions and sister conductor readings
  • Number of resets before arrival

General guidance for a qualified person, not a finding about any home. The person on site decides.