A breaker that keeps tripping is a symptom shared by two trades. The fault may be inside the appliance, which is an appliance, HVAC, pool or water heater technician's work, or it may be in the circuit that feeds it, which is an electrician's. Call the wrong one first and you pay for a visit that ends with "it's not us." This list sorts the common cases. If you are not sure yet whether the appliance or the circuit is at fault, start with our guide is it the appliance or the circuit?
Call an appliance repair technician when
- A plug-in appliance trips any circuit you plug it into.
- The refrigerator trips on its own schedule, the freezer frosts up, or the ice maker leaks; see refrigerators that trip the breaker.
- The dryer runs but does not heat after the breaker checks out, or the oven trips only during self-clean; see washers, dryers and ovens.
- The appliance shows an error code, or you can see a damaged element inside it.
Call an HVAC technician when
- The condenser or air handler breaker trips and the unit hums, clicks or struggles to start.
- It trips only on the hottest afternoons, or the first time the heat comes on.
- There is water in the air handler, ice on the lines, or the system short-cycles.
- Our guide to AC that keeps tripping the breaker explains which parts are theirs: capacitor, contactor, compressor, motors, heat strips, refrigerant and drain.
Call a pool technician when
- The pump motor is leaking, noisy or will not start, and the electrical side checks out.
- The automation or timer settings are the issue rather than the wiring.
- See pool pumps that trip the breaker or GFCI for where their work ends and ours begins.
Call a plumber or water heater technician when
- The water heater is leaking, or there is no hot water with the breaker still on.
- An element or thermostat needs replacing; depending on who you call, a plumber, a water heater company or an electrician may do this. See water heaters that trip the breaker.
Call an electrician when
- The breaker trips with everything on the circuit unplugged or switched off.
- Several circuits are tripping, or circuits trip in the rain; see breakers that trip when it rains.
- A breaker will not reset, feels warm, or the panel buzzes; see a buzzing electrical panel.
- An outlet or plug is scorched, warm or loose, or there is a burning smell; see burning smells and buzzing.
- A GFCI trips with nothing connected to it.
- The appliance technician has found the appliance healthy and the breaker still trips.
- A new appliance needs a new or larger circuit, a dryer outlet needs to change from three-wire to four-wire, or the panel has no room for another breaker.
- The circuit is simply overloaded and you want loads moved or a new circuit added.
When it is both
Some calls need both trades. An air conditioner with a failing capacitor can also have burned the connection at its breaker. A pool pump with a leaking seal can also have water in the timer box. A corroded outdoor disconnect near the bay can sit next to a corroded contactor in the unit. If one trade fixes their part and the breaker still trips, the other is next. If you cannot tell where to start, an electrician can tell you in one visit whether the circuit and breaker are sound. If they are, you know the appliance technician is the right next call, and you can hand them the measurements.
Check the license
In Florida, electrical work is generally for licensed electrical contractors; our guide to handymen and licensed electricians explains why that matters. Other trades have their own licensing. Whoever you call, you can look up a Florida license on the state's DBPR license search.
What to have ready for any of them
- Which breaker or GFCI trips, and a photo of the panel directory.
- When it trips: at startup, after a while, at night, in the rain, during a particular cycle.
- The appliance's model number and a photo of its label.
- What else is on the circuit, and anything that changed recently: a new appliance, a storm, a repair.
Our before you call checklist covers the rest.
What we do on a breaker call
We find out what is on the circuit, measure what each load draws, test the wiring and the breaker, and check the connections from the panel to the appliance. Then we tell you plainly which side the problem is on. If it is the circuit or the breaker, our circuit breaker repair page explains how we fix it. If the circuit is sound but carrying too much, dedicated circuits explains how a heavy appliance gets a circuit of its own.
Questions people ask
Should I call the electrician or the appliance tech first?
If the breaker trips with the appliance unplugged or switched off, the electrician. If the appliance trips any circuit you plug it into, its technician. If you cannot test it, start with whichever side has the stronger clue.
Can an electrician fix my air conditioner?
The circuit feeding it, yes. The capacitor, compressor and refrigerant side belong to an HVAC contractor.
My appliance tech says it is the wiring. What now?
Then the circuit needs testing. Tell us what they found; it shortens the search.
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.
