A circuit breaker is an automatic electric switch purposed to interrupt the flow of current to protect you, and your home from damage caused by the excess current. If a circuit is overloaded, the breaker will trip and cut power to eliminate the risk of fire. However, sometimes it can trip even when there is no overload, and that could mean you have a faulty breaker. Below are a few ways that indicate a breaker has actually gone bad
The Breaker Resets Temporarily: If a breaker trips immediately or a few minutes after resetting, either the breaker is bad or there is too much electricity passing through it. Some electrical appliances such as heaters and irons consume considerable current. Therefore, if possible, move these devices to a different circuit and check if this solves the problem. If it doesn't, the breaker could be faulty and needs to be replaced.
The Circuit Breaker Trips without a Load: If your breaker is tripping with no load, it means the breaker is faulty, installed incorrectly, or you have an arcing fault in the wiring. To ascertain the cause, call a licensed electrician for assistance.
The Circuit Breaker Doesn't Trip At All: If the breaker doesn't trip that means the contacts got welded together, and the only option will be to replace the circuit breaker. Nevertheless, this is a rare occurrence since the contact material doesn't easily weld.
Other ways to spot a bad breaker include
- A burning smell from the breaker
- Burnt spots shocks and sparks from the breaker
- The breaker is too hot to touch
Although small, never underestimate the functions of a circuit breaker because it can be the difference between the safety of yourself and your property. Always have them checked more often by a licensed electrical company to ensure they're in good functioning condition at all times.
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