A tripping breaker is a safety device doing exactly what it was built to do. The question is which of three things it is reacting to, because two of them are inconvenient and one of them can burn a house down.
Overload - the common one
Too much load on one circuit. Space heater plus microwave plus kettle on the same 15 amp run. It trips after a few minutes of everything running. The fix is a dedicated circuit for the heavy appliance, not a bigger breaker. Putting a 20 amp breaker on 14 gauge wire is how a wall gets hot.
Short circuit - trips instantly
Hot touching neutral. The breaker goes the instant you reset it, and there may be a pop, a scorch mark or a smell. Stop resetting it. This is a call-now situation - see emergency electrician service.
Ground fault - usually near water
Current leaking to ground, often through moisture. Bathroom, kitchen, garage and outdoor circuits. A GFCI outlet or breaker will catch it, which is precisely why code requires them in wet locations.
The five-minute triage anyone can do
- Unplug everything on the dead circuit, then reset. Holds? It was an overload - add things back one at a time until it trips and you have found the culprit.
- Trips instantly with nothing plugged in? That is a wiring fault. Leave the breaker off and call.
- Only trips when it rains or when a specific appliance runs? Note that - it saves us diagnostic time.
Stop and call immediately if you see any of this
- Burning or fishy plastic smell from the panel, an outlet or a wall
- Sparks, buzzing, or a warm switch plate or receptacle
- Scorch marks or discolouration around a breaker or outlet
- A breaker that will not stay on at all
- Lights dimming and brightening across the whole house
Those are not "book it for Thursday" symptoms. Call (888) 592-6466 - we answer 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and we will tell you which breaker to shut off while a truck is on the way.
Local emergency pages: emergency electrician in Baltimore, Silver Spring, Annapolis.