3 Reasons Your Circuit Breaker Keeps Tripping

[@Ookyspooky01]

4 years later and still saving us time and money. Appreciate you!

[@derrickwilliams8716]

Thank God for this man. Fixed a ground fault caused by a dumb ol outlet.

[@kennethreynolds1532]

Thank you for not dragging the video out with a bunch of bull an being very informative and informational. I have had this issue for a week now an was not sure what I needed to look for an now I do.

[@jamescorfield534]

Right!? Keeping it simple in the video is easier for me too

[@westernman7032]

This video is exactly what I needed. You saved me a lot of time and money. Thank you!

[@jackarnold3062]

You bet!

[@Peterpiperofthes]

I went and changed out my breaker switch, then it would still not flip on. You saved my butt bc it was a screw, touching the side of on of my boxes, thank you for the great video

[@jackarnold3062]

Glad it helped!

[@icreatemyowngoodluck]

This video was very helpful. I replaced a breaker but that wasn't the problem. After watching your video I changed the socket where i had an electric chain saw plugged in and everything was fixed. Just like you said , wires were moved because that's where I plug in my electric weed wackers too. Pulling on that socket over the years and it was and old socket .

[@bookieyadigg]

2022 video still helping us. Thanks

[@MOUSEBOWEN]

Awesome video. I’m a new handyman on some apartments complex for 2 years. I got a called last night Tennants says smells like burning and only half of the house has power. Many outlets wasn’t working. The breaker was tripped . I put the breaker back to on and tripped right away. I couldn’t find was outlet was tripping the breaker. So I had to called a experienced electrician

[@MOUSEBOWEN]

@The Mythology was a burned outlet was making contact hot to neutral . Electrician replaced it and got fixed

[@jackarnold3062]

Thanks for the positive feedback

[@JNhutPham]

My breaker trip as soon I turn on the light or plugin the device and the breaker trip. Please give me the idea how do I troubleshooting.

[@DaxEmerson2]

This video nailed all my question. The one about the outlet you should explain how to fix that problem . Thanks for the video

[@piotrfolczyk8589]

Open it, see what is shorting, unshort it. Replace outlet if not in perfect condition.

[@jackarnold3062]

Thank you!

[@ej8688]

Nice! A 4 min video just saved me . Problem solved. Thanks for doing these

[@jackarnold3062]

Oh man! Glad to have helped out!

[@G.I.JeffsWorkbench]

Very clear explanation. Thank you.

[@ravikiransr]

Thank you for the sharp pointers, i was able to get enough idea to fix my broken circuit, Neutral & Earth was short at some point.

[@monaxiinc.6542]

Thanks for this video. I was able to fix the simple issue where an electrician would have charged fortune.

[@tatersacs85]

Great video... I have a welder that keeps popping the breaker. Is it ridiculous to change out the breaker?

[@jackarnold3062]

Hey Harry. Thanks for the feedback! Changing out the breaker may not be a bad idea, but it depends on the conditions of your system. The wire needs to be rated to handle the current of the larger breaker. Your welder should have a "name plate" on the device telling you what the FLC or Full Load Current of the unit is. Check that out. Hit me back up if you have more questions and that does not solve your issue!

[@speed_rider362]

In our country we no longer use metal mounting brackets to install wall sockets. You can find them in very old installations (about 60 years or more). It is nowadays expressly forbidden. Electricians use in-the-wall-brackets and boxes made from a fire-retardant and heat resistant plastic material. It is for those exact reasons you just mentioned.

[@crand20033]

My house in the US is 20 years old. I have plastic socket boxes. I have a bedroom where I have a dorm fridge and a table microwave plugged into different sockets in the room with a 15 amp breaker in the garage. The breaker will just mysteriously trip every 3 or so days and on the last occasion we turned on the microwave and the breaker tripped. Because of the problem, I went and bought a new fridge, microwave and breaker. We still have the problem so we unplugged the microwave and that solved the problem but we shouldn't have to do that because we have three other bedrooms all having fridges and microwaves and we don't have the problem in those other rooms. What should I do so that I can leave the microwave plugged in?

[@speed_rider362]

@@crand20033 I am sure an electrician would help you. It might be so that a 15 Amp breaker is just so-so and these two appliances sometimes overload it. You will probably need to add at least one more breaker to supply power for the oven.

[@jackarnold3062]

@@crand20033 If you haven't solved the issue yet, we do see microwaves that go bad internally from time to time. Recently had a similar issue at a clients home we had just rewired. The client was pissed and thought we messed something up after a year of everything working properly. We were able to determine the microwave was the issue and they were able to get a new one and were happy at the end of the day!

[@Steven-rp8zo]

Great info! Straight to the point, love it!

[@jackarnold3062]

Thank you!

[@33goldengirl]

Almost every time I clean my GE Profile cook top, the outlet that is on the wall near the cook top (and has a breaker) trips. I use a little dish soap on a damp sponge to clean the cook top. I am wondering if moisture gets into a place it shouldn't be and that is why it trips. I would be so grateful if you could offer any insights. When this happens, it sometimes takes more than a day for the breaker to be able to be reset. That means I am without the use of the cook top for an extended period. Thank you!

[@Jaemon4Eva]

you’re worth a million bucks for sharing this, if not more

[@MzzzKLA83]

I have a 1984 condo in Louisiana. With high ceilings. I have a ceiling fan that trips my breaker. Company disconnected the light switch. $500. To much to fix a ceiling fan. Hangs 14ft high ceiling 28ft. And my furnace trips my main breaker. Thx for a few ideas and tips to try.

[@shananarocks]

Great wise advice. Can i check if my aunt's office MCB that keep tripping. According to her staff, it is the old UPS that is causing the problem and asking her to replace those with new UPS. Appreciate your advice.

[@arnoldelectricservices8235]

Might be best to hire an electrical to test the load of the UPS and also do a load calculation for you to determine if your system is sized properly. Thank you for the kind words!

[@shananarocks]

@@arnoldelectricservices8235 Thanks Arnold.

[@adim4927]

Thank you for sharing this valuable knowledge!!

[@jackarnold3062]

Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@JB_yeg]

Thanks so much Jack, made it very easy to understand.

[@gregbeaudion7781]

thank you from New Orleans

[@jackarnold3062]

You bet! From Chicago

[@kathyr5278]

Awesome thank you so much for the info. 👍🏻

[@jackarnold3062]

You bet!

[@heroknaderi]

Thamk you for your time.

[@chefbambu9382]

Thanks. You solved the isse, it was a new device I had plugged into an outlet causing the circuit to switch off.

[@jackarnold3062]

AWESOME! Glad it helped!

[@blacksandsurfcostarica6698]

Good morning sir thanks for helping clarify a few questions, I have a question the ground fault is an floor level outlet were the dog pissed just next to it and got wet I tried drying it a little bit with a hair drier this was like almost 48 ago…so the question is should I change that outlet for a new one and will solve the problem? Thanks for your assistance on this matter

[@jdrs4214]

One question: I have a brand new 230V Toshiba window unit. It’s a big one. You pull this baby out through the inside of the house, and wheel it outside to clean it. It’s on a dedicated circuit, or receptacle (nothing else is on this circuit). ….and she keeps tripping the breaker. Is there a recommended amp rating for these units, Or a certain household receptacle wiring size for a 230V???? Oh, and here are some bits of info from this Toshiba unit’s data tag: Volts: 230/208V single phase. RLA: 5.8/6.25A LRA: 40A FLA: 0.8A Amps: 7.2/7.6 Please forgive my ignorance. All I know is that wire size, and amp ratings have a lot to do with each other, and very important to get this right, and not burn your house down.

[@aaronburnett6932]

So how do you reroute certain electrical outlets to another breaker? Or is that something that someone can't do themselves?

[@arnoldelectricservices8235]

You can reroute electrical outlets by pulling a new circuit from the panel to the outlet that need to be there own breaker. If you have conduit you can use the existing conduit and pull the wire through it, if you have Romex you need to get creative and get the wiring to the outlets through drywall. Its probably best to call a professional as it causes you less headache.

[@JB-rt1ig]

Nice video. My breaker has recently tripped when I plug the fridge or a saw but there is only a Dyson charger on the circuit. Until now the fridge was plugged in the outlet and I never had any problem. Without the fridge Or the saw plugged in the outline the circuit works fine. any idea where it can come from ?

[@PDTH12]

This was perfect. Thanks.

[@atomicdmt8763]

I lose power in a series of outlets.. and no breakers trip. Resetting the breaker off/on doesnt help... BUT throwing the main breaker WILL often work. Thoughts? On the MSP I noticed the neutral conductor seems abit corroded. Thanks!

[@losmoore3358]

Thank u for the video.

[@jackarnold3062]

Thank you for watching and commenting!

[@markbowles2382]

I always wanted to go to Chicago (for the infrastructure and the U505).... thanks for the free info sir....im on the univ of utube working on a dead dishwasher after a lightning strike.... so thanks for the basics, every little bit helps.

[@ruyaal]

What is the solution if your breaker keeps tripping and you cannot use a 20 amp in a 15 amp breaker. Do u need to re-wire?

[@jackarnold3062]

You should never take out a 15 amp breaker that is tripping and install a higher amperage breaker. You need to fix the issue. The wire that is terminated at each breaker is rated only to carry the current associated with the breaker. The breaker is actually designed to protect the wire and keep it from overheating. So if you have a smaller wire on a larger amperage breaker you will ruin the wire causing a larger and much more costly repair in the long run. It is best to fix the root of the problem.

[@reginagrimes3873]

Thank you for explaining this in English.

[@jackarnold3062]

Thank you for the feed back!

[@vivienne192]

This is such a informative video. Thank you for making this

[@jackarnold3062]

Thanks for watching

[@kevincvillarreal]

My wife was thoroughly surprised at my ability to fix our breaker problem. I have won points. I thank this video for making me look and be more capable 🫡

[@zapataalonzo9177]

I have a question sir,I have an outside outlet being powered by an inside outlet . I have the boxes secure to wall, I put silicon on the outline of the boxes to protect it from water and and all I don’t have wires crossing, I made sure the outlet does not touch the metal box, I taped all possible loos cables, inside the house , I don’t have an overload, I made sure the box is not energized by a loose cables, I even used the Klein tool that gets connected to the outlet and lets you know what’s wrong and the breaker still trips every other week or every two weeks. What could it be?

[@JackieBercier-yt8hm]

If it's a ground where the metal is touching the metal, how do I find the problem? Check every outlet??

[@oakmeal53]

great info, thank you sir!

[@beebob1279]

Here’s my situation. I built an addition. Everything including the electric was inspected and passed. I have four outlets on the circuit. If I use the first outlet I’m fine. But when I use the vacuum cleaner on any circuit gouging away from the breaker it trips. I’m going to be pulling the outlets this week and then try the vacuum. If it doesn’t trip then I know I’m touching something in the box. It only goes when a load on put on. I was told it could be a bad breaker in the panel or a screw is touching it. But when it’s left alone the breaker doesn’t trip. Suggestions?

[@NickieSzontagh]

Most inspectors wouldn't catch bad splices,loose screws, or missed wired devices. Assuming it is not an arc-fault or gfci breaker. #1 Get your Electrician back that did the work. #2 Start by checking for proper voltages (120v) at each outlet #2 remove panel cover to check circuit connections. #3 pull out receptacles affected an look for any discoloring or burn marks ,loose screws,or bad splices.

[@dlouis1830]

Thank you this is so good for homeowners who want to be conscious of their Houses inner workings. Would these scenarios change if the breaker only trips when I unplug my microwave? As long as I keep the microwave plugged in it’s fine it’s the darndest thing.

[@jackarnold3062]

Hey Louis, sounds like you have a short somewhere. Hope you were able to solve your issue!

[@robertfaldetta6560]

Hi, loved the video. I have a breaker that I cannot reset, it arcs when I try. There are several outlets but nothing is plugged in. A visual inspection does not reveal anything, but maybe I am not thorough enough. I was looking for some kind of tester, but are there any testers which can test the outlets with no power from the panel? Thanks

[@arnoldelectricservices8235]

Hi, Thank you! There are outlet testers you can buy, but they won't tell you where the issues is.

[@judymcneal8519]

My 20 amp breaker 220 going to my well keeps tripping, I disconnected the wires from the well and turn on the breaker and it still trips, how do I find where the wires in the wall or how do I find the short? Thank you so much Sir

[@RcPlayer-tt2vw]

Same we’re screwed lol

[@crisnmaryfam7344]

2:50 or the plug is so old and they used backstab method on it, and the inside has just seen too much and now its jumping across the entire socket. 1986 built, every single switch and socket all back stabbed.. and near crumble in your hand when removing them...

[@Komander8236]

Thank you. Helped me fix an issue

[@kellysater3562]

Question: our pool pump was working fine all summer, today while the vac was hooded up I disconnected the power, opened the basket and cleaned the pool debris then replaced the basket, and plugged in the pump. It immediately trips the (damn) GFCI outlet it’s plugged into. The outlet won’t reset, and the pump seemed to be working fine. Best guess? Pump is a Hayward, 115v, 12.0amp on a 15 amp dedicated GFCI circuit. The pump is about 6 years old, outlet is at least 10 years old. It’s got me completely stumped. I am a welder, not an electrician. (Or pool guy)

[@aPheonixRises]

Gfci plugs don't last forever. If it wont set either the breaker tripped and there isn't power to the gfci, or it's just worn out and needs to be replaced.

[@AimGobalWorldBibleSchool]

Thanks man...Fantastic! and Outstanding!

[@EscoPicoTrane]

Excellent video brother, I have a 50a that I'm using for my EV, It won't trip while in use but I'll leave drive around all day and come back and the circuit has tripped. It's dedicated with nothing else on it. It's a 6 gauge. Any idea why it trips when not in use? Thanks.

[@arnoldelectricservices8235]

No idea! There could be a loose connection by one of the breakers that's causing heat to build up. If its not a loose connection an electrician can put a recording electrical tester on your panel overnight to read any spikes in voltage or amperage. Thank you!

[@jonathandiaz1701]

How helpful can a surge protector be with this issue ?

[@guysawka818]

My problem is all of a sudden it started tripping out of nowhere?? 4 lights are on the circuit and all others work n stay on; but only the garage lights trip it. I changed both switches (the one in garage n the one in the house) , but it still trips. I unplugged the 3 fluorescent lights in the ceiling that the tripping switches go to, but it still trips. Ugh Any suggestions?

[@Ms_marshall]

So how do you resolve the issue with the ground wiring?

[@arnoldelectricservices8235]

You would have to find where the ground fault is and clear it. You'd have to make sure your hot conductor is not touching the ground.

[@odiswilliams3391]

Thank God for your expertise....fixed my problem!!

[@arnoldelectricservices8235]

Glad it helped!

[@majormagics5571]

How about when the GFCI in the bathroom (also wired to the lights) goes out after a couple hours (trips). then We can reset it and we might be good for 10 minutes or a day..? Do you think the 15 amp breaker could be going bad!?

[@carth4876]

Question, When my A/C is running and I'm taking a shower my power cuts off to the house, FYI, I have a tankless water heater.

[@josephgrierjgrier11]

This was very helpful.

[@jackarnold3062]

Sweet! Glad it helped out!

[@doveboyz857]

Thanks so much 👍

[@jackarnold3062]

Thanks for watching the video!

[@evelynlebron6824]

I am in Arizona so calling you would be out of the scope of work but I do have a question I hope you can answer for me. I changed all of the wall sockets in my master bedroom about 2 months ago and the breaker will trip sometimes but I can reset it and I am good to go for days and/or even weeks. Any idea on what would cause this issue? I changed the sockets because I plugged a vacuum into a wall and lost power to the room so I figured maybe the wall sockets were old and should be replaced. The house was built in 2002.

[@roheezy25]

Thank you

[@jackarnold3062]

Thank you for watching and commenting!

[@dasledogg64]

My washing machine keeps tripping the GFCI outlet during the spin cycle. I reset the outlet and it trips it again. Is this a problem with my washing machine or do I need to replace my GFCI outlet?

[@battlestar1788]

So if your outlets never had a problem and all of a sudden year or two goes by and these problem pops up for example… would a screw holding the wires on the outlets comes lose over time … question how is that possible ?

[@mrindependent1]

Electricity causes heat which causes expansion which can loosen connections Also electricity can create vibrations

[@richardscarlett7942]

in your first example, why wouldnt i just replace the 15 Amp breaker with a 20, instead of paying someone to tear up my house un necessarily?

[@surferdude642]

15 breaker usually means that you have 14 gauge wire, you need 12 gauge (thicker wire) for a 20 amp circuit, so you don't overload and overheat the wire.

[@2JobsStillPoorUSA]

My older mh i had issues with my hot water heater. The breaker would trip. Turn it on get maybe tepid washer. Had stuff replaced in water heater but still had breakers trip. Turns out the breaker switch was damaged and burnt and brittle. Replaced that and bam hot water and no more trips.

[@nhattuygiaithiensaunguyen9885]

thank you so much

[@jackarnold3062]

Thank you for watching!

[@LRon-ef7ni]

I have a breaker that won’t reset. It’s a breaker in my Solar panels’ subunit. There’s a buzzing and it trips. The electrician for the solar company couldn’t figure it out and now I’m waiting for another electrician to come check. Any thoughts on what the issue is?

[@lisamcglothin5424]

What if it's a water heater, 240 . We noticed no hot water,tried resetting breaker but it immediately trips. There is only water tank running off that breaker,no outlets. Does that matter?

[@RicoDjMigo]

Very informative💪🏾💪🏾

[@Mr.709-]

I have no idea what is going on but my breaker keeps tripping in my living room it was working fine for a while and i went out bought a new fan that uses 120w and another that used 50w both on opposite sides of the house i had the 120w in the living room and after being on for about 2-5 mins the breaker trips and the same happens with the 50w when i switched them from rooms

[@lisanjohnny1]

Sending you Aloha from Oahu, this helped me tremendously

[@prorescuer1]

Great info

[@jackarnold3062]

Thank you!

[@MrElcangri009]

What could it be when the tester reads “ open hot”? Loose wire?

[@gamingtrading7119]

One ? So i turn the fan in the kitchen on it will still work it will turn on but it will flip a separate breaker on panel? And its on a separate braker?

[@juliacross9414]

Why does my light come on in the off position then the breaker immediately trips when I flip the switch into the on position to shut it off. This switch has been in my home for several years. I took a light out and it started doing this.

[@twistwist777]

What are the chances that the braker is bad and needs to be replaced? Thanks for the vid!

[@piotrfolczyk8589]

Slim possibility. If you remove the panel cover, swap it with known good breaker and it continues to trip, you know it is not the breaker. (Or if it does not trip, it was)

[@mig3872]

Thank you. Electrician coming this week. But my breaker is now tripping without anything plugged in. My outlets for main tv, cable box, surround sound. The outlets seem to be culprit and maybe it’s the ground fault you said. But breaker stays on for like a min now then trips. Not instantly. Any thoughts?

[@cristinar5535]

Hey what was it ? Same problem

[@mig3872]

@@cristinar5535 Electrician said it was breaker and replaced breaker. When took panel off, it was also discolored a little.

[@ariellebloomfield1871]

Did that fix it

[@maureenreeder]

Can an overload or other issue you mentioned trip a circuit breaker other than the one causing the problem? My kitchen remodel is happening and electrical work done, but the garage door circuit breaker keeps tripping. It doesn't look tripped because the position shows on but when I flip it, it works.. for one use, maybe 2.

[@shacaramalone]

Could a bad circuit breaker cause the same thing

[@Jemstk]

I need your advice

[@MrCashmerethoughts]

Thank you, great information

[@jackarnold3062]

Thank you!

[@mantaship]

At 2:48 I new I had the winner. Thanks for saving me $200 or so bucks...

[@quantumchang4410]

You only diacussed the 3 causes which are external. But what if the circuit breaker is faulty and keeps tripping as a result?

[@RcPlayer-tt2vw]

Exactly i hoping this is my issue otherwise the short is in the wall somewhere and im screwed

[@OrangeCounty-u8e]

Hi my name is Jackie I have a problem breaker trips immediately I disconnected the outlets where the rooms had no power and hallway I checked they weren't touching so I took them off meaning I disconnected them and I put in a new breaker it tripped again so idk what it could be

[@Rivanni1]

thanks for the info very helpful

[@dsd-downshiftdave8056]

I just moved into a newly renovated basement apartment, breaker keeps tripping only item I have plugged in nand running is my t.v? I'll be watching t.v approx half hour or so it will trip If I run my electric fireplace it trios right awY

[@gillart99]

Good stuff. I’m living in a 1937 home with this exact problem and no idea how to attack it.

[@jackarnold3062]

Glad it helped!

[@stevenalexander5367]

What about the breaker tripping when you add a load to the ckt...any load like turning on a light, plugging something into the receptacle, etc? that's my issue. i have several light switches, smoke detectors, and two receptacles on that ckt. they all worked for years until the weather caused a neighborhood blackout. when the blackout was over the ckt started tripping. it doesn't matter which switch or receptacle in that ckt. i disconnected the smoke detectors, unplugged everything, and tuned off all the lights. the breaker stays energized until i either turn on a light, plug something in, or connect a smoke detector, then the ckt trips.

[@GmGarlo]

my tester read my hot and neutral was reversed, so to fix this do you just switch them over or is it more complicated than that?

[@CalvinCharles29]

What about bad breakers? Can a breaker keep tripping because of this? What causes a breaker to go bad?

[@siouxscout]

Yes, with age they can weaken and get tripped at lower amps. Replace them.

[@siouxscout]

I'll note also now that I've had to replace more on my old Murray panel, it fixed many odd issues. My breakers wouldn't fully trip and the majority of the lights in the house would flicker. Replacing the breakers fixed it. When trying to find the issue online, I couldn't find anything and what I found said DO NOT replace breakers from another brand. Thats not true anymore a lot of company's sell the same breakers(just match the type and same amp) and I was able to replace all of mine and it didnt even cost that much, compared to hiring someone to replace my panel and breakers.

[@seanm7553]

Of course be isn’t going to tell u the easiest fix.

[@raymondgarafano8604]

used to be 2 20 amp kitchen circuits. Thanks!

[@jackarnold3062]

2 - 20amp Small Appliance Circuits as a minimum just for the countertop outlets. You should also have an individual circuit for: Fridge, Dishwasher, Microwave, Disposal, Stove and Exhaust Hood. Sometimes you can combine the stove if it's gas or propane with the exhaust hood.

[@bennylynn6211]

Thank you for the info

[@josh.kaptur]

I have an outdoor ceiling fan driving me crazy... I can turn it on and it's fine... at some point in the day, it is guaranteed to trip the breaker... almost never happens right away and could be hours later. Any thoughts?

[@ariellebloomfield1871]

Did you ever figure it out

[@rogerdsilva3889]

Hi sir there is nothing plugged in my sockets but as soon as I turn on the switch my RCD trips. Can u help

[@yenle5408]

Hi Arnold, I live in Canada. Could you tell me the reason why my outlet didn’t have power when I plug into the car to keep it warm ( -20’C). I changed the outlet but the Circuit Breaker keeps tripping. Do I need to change the Circuit Breaker or Fuse? Thank you very much.

[@donnag4786]

What about if you put the wires to the wrong side of the bolts even if grounded don’t you have to match brass to brass and silver to silver? I think mine may be backwards causing a short now after a year it was fine all of a sudden keeps tripping.. I’m going to try replacing it.. thank you

[@jackarnold3062]

The hot wire should be on the brass screw and the neutral wire should be on the silver screw. However if you wired it backwards it would not cause a short.

[@Elamigodedios1050]

Great video.

[@raymondgarafano8604]

If a neutral screw touches a grounded box, would that trip a gfi brkr? the idea that the neutral must carry exactly same as ungrounded wire?

[@javiloc]

Can the breaker trip just 'cause or is there always an underlying issue?

[@LaGorda43]

I have an older Sears Craftsman 30 gallon air compressor, runs on 110 (15 amp circuit) in my garage. My compressor works fine, but than after a few minutes it pops the breaker. I re-set the breaker and then it pops again. Been doing it for years, but now it has gotten worse. Before I could fill it all up, now it fills just a little. Do you think it’s the capacitors (run or start capacitors) on the compressor and if so which ones? Or do I need to increase it to 20 amp?

[@Doug-o9y]

If you pull more than 80% on a 15 amp breaker it will heat up and eventually trip! Check your nameplate rating. You may have to dedicate a 20 amp circuit for your air compressor!