It has happened to the best of us. You are humming a tune, doing a little dance and trying to blow dry your hair and get out the door to start your day. Suddenly, mid – dry, the breaker trips and your blow dryer shuts off. Along with every light, clock and electrical device you own. ARGH! Now not only do you have to find a robe and some shoes and trudge outside to reset your breakers, you also have to reset your clocks! This is NOT the way you wanted to start your day, especially before your first cup of coffee.
What IS a breaker anyways, and why do they trip? Breakers – Why you always trippin’?
A breaker usually trips when a circuit is overloaded. When a circuit has more electrical load connected to it than it really should have (like when you are running an electricity-guzzling appliance such as a hair dryer), it can trip a breaker as a result of the additional load. For example: If you have a 15 AMP breaker protecting a 15 AMP circuit, and you have 20 AMPS flowing through it due to operating a toaster, table top grill, hair dryer and space heater all at the same time connected to the same circuit, you will trip the breaker. The breaker is designed to help protect the circuit from overheating.
Allow A1 Electrical, the premier electrician contractor in the Sacramento CA area servicing El Dorado Hills, Folsom, Roseville and surrounding areas to help walk you through resetting tripped breakers step by step.
Turn off all electronic equipment hooked up to that circuit in order to avoid disruptive power surges and equipment damage.
Go to your electrical service panel, usually located in the basement or garage or in the room with your furnace and hot water. Some are also located outside, often near the garage.You must now identify the tripped circuit breaker. The tripped breaker will not be fully in the “On” position but rather in the “Off” position or even somewhere in between the two. Some newer service panels now have breakers that show red by the handle when tripped.
To reset the tripped circuit breaker, firmly push the switch all the way down to the “Off” position and then back up to the “On” position. You should hear a click as the switch snaps fully into the “On” position.
Did that work? Are you back in business? You may want to see what appliances you can leave off while finishing your coiffure. Perhaps your toast can wait until your hair is blow dried to perfection?
If your breaker continues to trip as soon as you reset it, you may actually have a direct short. If this is the case, do not continue to try to reset your breakers. Please contact us for assistance. At this point you need a professional to address the issue. You could have a weak compressor, an undersized breaker or wire, defective breaker, loose breaker, loose electrical connection or weak capacitor.
At A1 Electrical we have been helping people keep their circuits from trippin’ for over a decade! If you live in or around Sacramento, CA or surrounding areas including Elk Grove, Lincoln or Elverta – we would be happy to help you resolve your breaker issue! Breakers, have some chill. Please give us a call at 916-482-3400!
