When a breaker keeps tripping, the first question is the one that decides who you call: is something plugged into the circuit causing it, or is the circuit itself the problem? Getting that right saves calling an appliance technician to fix a wire, or an electrician to fix a refrigerator. Most of the time a few safe observations answer it, and when they do not, a short set of measurements will. Our guide to breakers that trip again on reset covers the three kinds of fault behind a trip. This one is about locating it.
Three possibilities
- The appliance has a fault. A shorted heating element, a motor leaking current to its frame, a damaged cord. It will trip whatever circuit it is plugged into.
- The circuit is overloaded. Each appliance is healthy, but together they draw more than the circuit can carry. Nothing is broken; there is too much on one breaker.
- The circuit or breaker has a fault. A loose or burned connection, damaged wire, water in a box, or a worn breaker. It trips even with nothing plugged in, or with loads it used to handle.
Clues from when it trips
- Instantly on reset, with everything unplugged: the wiring, a device on the circuit, or the breaker. Leave it off.
- Instantly when one appliance is switched on: usually that appliance.
- After several minutes of heavy use: usually an overload, such as a heater and a hair dryer on the same circuit.
- A GFCI trips, not the breaker: current is leaking to ground, often from moisture or an appliance with a heater or a pump.
- At odd hours with nobody using anything: something that cycles on its own, such as a refrigerator defrost heater, dehumidifier or pump; see breakers that trip at night.
- Only in the rain: water reaching the circuit; see breakers that trip when it rains.
The safe test: move the appliance
For a plug-in, 120-volt appliance such as a refrigerator, dehumidifier, space heater, microwave or window unit, the simplest test is to move it:
- Unplug everything on the tripping circuit and reset the breaker once. If it will not hold with nothing plugged in, stop here: the problem is in the circuit.
- Plug the suspect appliance into an outlet on a different circuit that has little else running. Plug it straight into the wall, not into a power strip or a light-duty extension cord.
- If it trips the second circuit too, the appliance is the likely cause. Unplug it and call the right technician.
- If it runs for days on the second circuit, look at the first: either it was overloaded, or it has a fault that only shows under load.
- For a GFCI trip, move the appliance to another GFCI-protected outlet, not to an unprotected one. A garage freezer belongs on GFCI protection either way.
Skip the test if the appliance or its cord smells burned, looks damaged, is wet, or tripped with a bang. Unplug it and leave it. Never plug a heavy appliance into an outlet that is warm or discolored; see outlets warm to the touch.
When the appliance cannot be moved
Hardwired and 240-volt appliances, such as the air conditioner, water heater, dryer, range and pool pump, cannot be moved to another circuit. The clues still help: does the breaker hold with the appliance switched off at its own control, or with the thermostat off? Does it trip only when the appliance starts heating or its motor starts? The guides below go through each one.
By appliance
- AC keeps tripping the breaker: condenser, air handler, capacitor, heat strips and the outdoor disconnect.
- Water heater tripping the breaker: elements, the high-limit reset and electric tankless circuits.
- Pool pump tripping the breaker or GFCI: pool, irrigation, well and lift pumps.
- Refrigerator tripping the breaker or GFCI: defrost heaters, garage freezers and food safety.
- Washer, dryer or oven tripping the breaker: 240-volt appliances, dryer cords and new appliances.
- Space heater tripping the breaker: heaters, dehumidifiers and portable AC.
What an electrician measures
Guessing from outside the panel only goes so far. On a troubleshooting visit, an electrician can typically:
- Measure current draw with a clamp meter on the circuit and on each heavy appliance, and compare it to the breaker rating and the appliance's label. That settles the overload question.
- Test the wiring's insulation with the loads disconnected, to find a leak to ground or a damaged cable inside a wall.
- Measure voltage under load, which shows a loose or high-resistance connection somewhere on the run.
- Check the breaker and its connection for heat, looseness and wear, and test GFCIs and AFCIs.
- Open the boxes on the circuit one at a time when the fault is in the wiring.
The result is a clear answer: the appliance is at fault and needs its technician, the circuit is overloaded and needs loads moved or a new circuit, or the circuit has a fault we repair. See electrical troubleshooting and circuit breaker repair.
Questions people ask
Can a breaker just wear out?
Yes. Breakers that have carried heavy loads for years, or have tripped many times, can trip below their rating. Testing tells whether the breaker or the load is the problem.
If the appliance works on another circuit, is it fine?
Probably, if it runs for days without tripping. But the original circuit still needs an answer: an overload, a loose connection or a worn breaker.
Who do I call first?
If the appliance trips every circuit, its technician. If the circuit trips with nothing plugged in, an electrician. Our guide to appliance tech, HVAC tech or electrician has the full list.
Need it looked at?
KRW Electric (EC13012832) troubleshoots and repairs breakers that keep tripping in Pinecrest, Coconut Grove, South Miami and Miami Beach, with same-day service when scheduling permits. Call (305) 359-7312 and tell us what you are seeing. We will ask a few questions, tell you whether it sounds urgent, and give you the earliest time we have. Our before you call checklist covers what to have ready, and what happens on a repair visit explains the rest.
Reviewed by Kyle White, KRW Electric Company LLC — licensed electrical contractor EC13012832.
