Circuit Breaker Keeps Tripping - 3 Common Reasons

Here are 3 common reasons the breaker in your electrical panel will trip. This is basic information to give you and idea of what could be wrong and how to troubleshoot the loss of power in an outlet or circuit.
To reset a tripped breaker, you simply need to turn it off then back on. If the breaker immediately trips when you reset it, you have a short somewhere. Start by unplugging anything in that circuit and see if the breaker holds. If not, you have a problem in the wiring or inside a receptacle box somewhere.
Remember to disconnect the power before working with any electrical circuits. It is dangerous.
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[@robertapierce8658]

Another superb video to help the "regular joe' homeowner to understand wiring, circuitry and home appliance trouble-shooting. We are very appreciative of your step- by- step visuals on this.

[@jimx676]

Good, simple, straightforward. Good job.

[@frankpeck1448]

Thanks, Bill...for your common sense, straight forward approach, to trouble shooting a faulty circuit breaker.

[@davey6024]

1. Overload due to accessories on circuit pulling more than the breaker rating. 2. Fault due to dead short. 3. Loose connection causing high resistance.

[@fredr4258]

Great explanations Bill. Yes, I like your vids. Very well presented. As a mechanical and electrical designer by profession, I can honestly tell you how well your videos seem to be presented IMHO. Great job again Bill.

[@regthebackyardjackofalltrades]

Thanks, I tried to explain to my sister but she couldn’t understand me. Thanks for making it easy so I didn’t have to repeat myself or calm down because she said I was yelling at her. Plus I’m in California and she’s in Queens N.Y. and there’s no way I’m flying back East to fix an outlet during this pandemic. I love my sister but she’s going have to pay someone.

[@03Josearanda]

This was great. Now to make a video and find out how to find out what it was .

[@ivo2111]

Simple yet straightforward and informative!! Thanks, sir.

[@ABEairsoft]

You just saved me so much time and frustration. I had a wire that had a gash in it where my wifi router was plugged in

[@HikeHuntHaul]

Thank for the great video. Just had this happen in my garage....had a thought that it might actually be the original wall breaker plugin (maybe from age). I had trouble shooted the entire system. Replaced it and all is well :) thanks for the great video! Saved me probably 300-500 bucks! Much appreciated. Thumbs up!

[@velonamoses8043]

I can’t understand the dislikes here??? Guy is speaking sense ☝️💯

[@normankaplan886]

Thanks, I somehow managed to replace a circuit breaker and cured a problem that has been on going for months. And thanks to you, I did not have to go to the ER to pull off the installation of a new breaker.

[@crand20033]

It's only 120 volts. Won't hurt you at all.

[@vegandew]

Excellent job explaining things to someone no in the trade.

[@derekthompson3190]

Thank you man ! Saved me a headache popped like 4 times in 10 mins. Never thought a weak breaker. Lol just been unplugging stuff

[@j.a.1785]

He has passed away.

[@kevinjones5246]

We had record low temps(-30 celcius) an outdoor extn cord was causing the tripping of the circuit thanks for the help!

[@onecrazywheel]

Crazy thing is probably all of the breaker manufacturer's inform customers in writing in their specs to change a breaker once it has tripped! I assume they say that only to cover themselves from liability. That would get expensive for owners though to change circuit breakers for everytime a breaker would trip. Good video, Bill. Jeff Journeyman Electrician

[@masonbergh7147]

they do not tell you to change a breaker if it trips that would be a fuse. Breakers are made to be resetable thats why you buy them over a fuse. Also your breakers should ever be tripping frequently or your shit would fucked up.

[@JohnC-kc5uh]

Thank you, NOT a lot of bla bla bla, SUPER awesome and to the point. I'd hire you in a snap

[@romanocabrera8946]

Thank you so much for the educational video for this topic on why circuit breakers trip. Romano C.

[@akinvests]

Simple but very explanatory and detailed, thanks

[@ViperCardCollector]

Thank you for helping us may you rest in peace

[@nycelectriciandavid7997]

The 3rd one you just explained can also sometimes be attributed to the bad "jaw" of a plug-in type c.b. A simple non-contact thermal detector ( very common these days because of covid-19 to check human temperature ) is pretty handy to check the circuit breaker's temperature just to make sure its contact to the busbars is up to par, otherwise excessive heat from loose, pitted and dirty jaws because of arcing, can trip a breaker even with the right current load.

[@michaelleddy3701]

Miss your videos

[@markanthonyvaldez4517]

Thanks for sharing, im a new electrician working here in the philippines this kind of information helps a lot. Tanks!👏👍

[@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!?

[@diyman-kf3rg]

Wow a weak breaker never thought of that 👍👍 , good advise 👍

[@lunaticsofficial1161]

Commentary doesn't get reply only because when the KZbinr gets a lot of views on his video, but he does not know that he always have to reply each and every comments to help his viewers in need because his video is all about problem solving.

[@sfcd4757]

You know this guy Bill passed away right?

[@truthbetold459]

Thank you so much, my friend. Very helpful, and you are straight to the point.

[@Brandon_Jackson]

Mine trips when I turn my heater on and it never did that before. I tried unplugging stuff but still no luck, I hate this camper!!!!

[@aledwardssr.9651]

explained very simple, thanks.

[@undeniablejoy1249]

Thank you for showing examples!!

[@edgardowilliams8595]

Thank you very much for those lessons. Very useful!

[@jonathaneverett9247]

Do you mind answering a quick question for me....I have a chandelier from home depot that I would like to convert to a plug in, rather than a "direct connection" (not sure what that is called). There are 3 wires. Neutral, Hot and a ground wire...however the ground wire has no sheathing on it. The directions state to route all 3 wires through the chains yada yada. Well I went and bought a two prong connector....thinking that the ground wire from the chandelier will be find to be grounded to the ground wire coming out of the ceiling/box. So that wire is grounded there...I ran the other two wires along the ceiling to a ceiling mounted 3 prong outlet. I plug the two prong from the chandelier into the 3 prong outlet and my 20A breaker trips. Again the ground wire (unsheathed) from the chandelier is grounded to a ground wire hanging out of the ceiling...is it because they are on two different circuits? Any help would be awesome.

[@VaxxedStories]

A 4th reason: If one of the nuts in the panel is loose, it can create arcing which causes the breaker to overheat. I'm speaking of the nuts that secure the connecting bars that run from the meter socket to the breaker bus bars. I had never checked those nuts because I assummed that a panel from the factory would have tightened nuts. Not so!

[@lucst-michel]

Hi! I am currently renovating my second bathroom. I will be replacing an old electrical baseboard with a new one. While researching books and the internet, I now have a better understanding of electrical circuit and the max safe operating load. When I investigated other circuit in the house, I found a circuit with a 2000 watts baseboard, plus a 750 watts baseboard in another room and finally a 2000 watts heating fan in another room. This makes for a total of 4,750 watts. Now, in the breaker panel, for this circuit, the breaker is a 240 volts 20 amp. Am I correct to say that it is not safe? If I replace the breaker with a 30 amp, would I sleep much better? Thanks for the good video.

[@KevinCoop1]

Although I, as an electrical designer, would not load that circuit that close, it is wired correctly and complies with NEC. The load is non- continuous(runs less than 3 hours continuously) and can be loaded to 100% on the breaker. 4750 watts at 240 volts is 19.79 amperes. If it were a problem, the breaker would have been tripping. Adding another circuit to one of them would not be wrong if it makes you feel better. Respectfully, Kevin

[@mdabdulla237]

Sir, if LV cable insulation damaged , then CB will be tripped? Thank you.

[@electricaltechwork4794]

Thank you sir this video is very useful for, because I have need to do about breaker trip. 😁👌

[@vuthyyos5212]

Hi Bill, thank you for your informative video. My question is why my GFCI outlet is not working; it has a solid red LED on. When I plugged a GFCI tester, nothing light up. The Circuit Line is hot when I tested it with a non-contact AC Voltage Detector. I even disconnected the Load line from the outlet. I greatly appreciated for any pieces of advice.

[@RandomVids519]

Just got a new 200 amp panel and its tripping off a toaster should i call the guy or move the toaster cuz it never did that on my old one

[@freshbloominclothing]

Thank you for the video! My husband and I have lived in our home for 3+ years. Our bathroom and second bathroom outlets are on the same circuit along with one outlet of the lanai. We have nothing plugged in full-time. Once in awhile I was using the outlet for a vacuum but we upgraded to a wireless/cordless vacuum over a year ago. Some time a few months ago, the outlets stopped working. We didn't realize it until we purchased a Waterpik and tried to use it in the master bathroom last month. We have no idea of how long the outlets were not working as we don't use them. After searching KZbin, we replaced the circuit breaker successfully. We plugged in a random light and it worked for a second. We have an electrician called who is coming tomorrow at the tune of $65 an hour to figure out what is wrong. Any ideas? My husband is quite handy. He is currently disconnecting the outlet in the master and then has plans on doing the same to the second bathroom).

[@pandorarose3]

How do you know which one it is? We have a duel pole that only runs one thing an air conditioner. Well, this year I have noticed after turning it on and leaving for my uncles for a week, or 4 days, I come home(to check the house as its only 45 minutes away) and find the breaker has been tripped. I don't want to spend money getting a new air conditioner if it is a cheaper fix of just maybe the outlet being old or the breaker. As another outlet that ran an air conditioner had an issue with its breaker but it wouldn't run for more than 30 minutes. This one is running for at least a few days before tripping.

[@koryzap7339]

my breaker is popping just running like 8 outside bulbs. no water getting in, wiring is good. the breaker is as old as the home so 23 years. they stay on awhile before they go off. does this sound like a breaker is going bad?

[@17miguelin]

Very cool trick.. how you make trip the circuit!! Never thought about it.. With plug and two small wire!!

[@JaylenBieber]

WITH MY LUCK IM WITHOUT LIGHT TONIGHT. MAIN BREAKER TRIPPED & EVERYTHINGS CLOSED DURING COVID19 AT 8PM. FML! And it's going to be the coldest night of April. 34 degrees

[@highpointdad2006]

For a quartz heater I installed dedicated 20amp Square D circuit breaker, 12 gauge wire to a single round outlet, the wire run to panel is only 18 feet. Works great until I turn heater switch to include the second quartz element, it trips the breaker.., does that sound odd ? All components are new, should I have run 10ga wire ? Connections are snug and perfect, maybe a weak new breaker? Maybe we’re at the current draw limit of our 200 amp service panel already?

[@williamhock9822]

I have power all through my house not in my bedroom and it was my AC that was keep flicking on and off and my light would flicker too does that mean it's the breaker

[@robertjenkins8630]

Many thanks to you friend...

[@armandodemichele1420]

I just changed a plug and replaced it with a new identical one. I put the wires securely in the same places and finished the installation. I went back and turned the breaker on and it trips, along with the main breaker to the whole house. This house (my sister's place) is just over 20 years old, and the old plug socket was working but the bottom plug had a black smoke stain on it ( it still functioned). Could it be the breaker itself? It's a 15 amp Kitchen split, a double breaker.

[@jasonx409able]

Hi I installed and replaced one of my breaker for my living room and I took out the old one and put the new one. After turning on the main breaker my family heard a loud pop in the living room. Is that a normal sound after installation??? Just curios. Everything is working fine now but just want to know????

[@ljeff46]

Thanks ,good video. Brief and to the point.

[@GmGarlo]

if the screw hits your wire and trips it, and your not sure what screw it is , is there someway to pinpoint the problem without taking half of your drywall down?

[@gonzalezsax4129]

Yeah you just gotta touch the screw with a hot/neutral cable

[@mutiur7396]

De energize the main circuit breaker and short both phase and neutral of house wiring, then use an ohm meter and start touching all nails while keeping the second lead to the short you made in distribution box using a long wire.

[@MrGavinspoppop]

Yep ... a space heater plus exhaust fan in bathroom plus 6 60 watt bulbs = pop the circuit ...tyvm

[@charlesleland9650]

nice video for an amateur like me

[@themaintenancekid7851]

Great video! But if it touches an ungrounded metal box it won't trip the breaker and will cause that box to become energized

[@josel.dominguez6747]

Thanks for sharing video and good tips too. Regards.

[@Ninasky79]

Thank you !

[@margaretskinner6972]

So whats at fault when i try to replace a blown bathroom globe, but when i turn to test it the breaker trips out and the new globe is blown ? Is it the globe point of contact, the ligt switch for bathroom or the breaker in the main box itself?

[@bobcat5844]

if i drilled into my wall hitting a wire, how dangerous is that should cut out the drywall and see?

[@blahyoubleep]

I hear a slight buzzing noise from the specific breaker that keeps tripping before it trips off. Unplugged all devices on that circuit, tried again. Still have the same issue. Because I’m hearing that noise, should I isolate the problem to the breaker or should I now take a look at the outlets to look for shorts?

[@Noldy2009]

I have a breaker that I turn it on and after a few seconds it builds a small buzz, tiny spark and trips. It won’t stay on. Any idea? We’re gonna have an electrician take a look but came across your video and thought I could ask your opinion

[@HamzaMirofficial]

Help! I accidentally left water around electric stove for about 20 hours. I dried it now, but it keeps trip the electricity. Haven’t cooked for days.

[@williamrogers5874]

Thanks brother appreciate it have a merry Christmas.👍😃😃

[@jr6740]

Sir why do I have both lights when I tested the socket's two holes using a pen tester after a possible tripped from a breaker, why is there a voltage present still? Pls answer ty.. gud day

[@KevinCoop1]

If I am understanding correctly, you are testing a receptacle and showing it has voltage to it while a breaker is “possibly” tripped. Either the breaker has not tripped for that specific circuit, or the breaker handle has moved and is malfunctioning. If you know the breaker is absolutely connected and does not totally trip and open, get it replaced as soon as you can. Respectfully, Kevin

[@michaelmaracle5524]

Think you . well done strait to the point and well explained. I have now subscribed...

[@JaylenBieber]

Did u miss 1? when water hits it does it trip? My whole circuit has Burns, along with the plastic Circuit Breakers, which I keep changing. I wonder if changing 20 amps to 15 amps matters? I am with I like today during covid 19 I'm screwed.

[@eduardohowcomedf6971]

Hi bill this is Ed from southern California , listen I just bought a HYPER Touch 12A electric leaf blower from Walmart well yesterday I was using it and twice it popped the house braker and today I was using blower at next door neighbor house and it also popped the breaker do you know in simple tip on what can I do to fix this issue so I won't have to go and return it back to Walmart ? I really want to keep this blower and not go though the hassle of returning and all that jazz . I going to subscribe to your channel and I had few incidence when I accidentally cut my extension cord while I was using my hedge trimmer pretty scary

[@jayestores2459]

Whats the most you can put in a 20Amp breaker is it 125%? If its not continious?

[@zoechavarria7695]

Thanks for this.. helped me out..👍🏽

[@ibbriley399]

Molded case circuit breakers are designed to carry 100% of rated current indefinitely without tripping. Thus a 20 ampere rated breaker will carry 20 amperes indefinitely. The nec requires that circuits designated as continuous duty (3 hours or more uninterrupted) be rated at 125% of the calculated load, meaning that a 20 ampere rated circuit may be designed to carry no more than 16 amperes continuous. However, the circuit breaker would still carry 100% of it’s rated load indefinitely.

[@valeriecummings5667]

two appliances destroyed had to dump electrical persons said due to water damage never saw water damage what would cause two outlets to stop working and cause it to destroy the appliance

[@VikingsFan27]

Help! I have one of those bubble water chillers that hold the 5gal returnable jugs. Well, about 10 mins ago I went to put a new water jug on top as I always have. When the water jug dropped down into place it caused the 15a GFCI breaker in the panel to trip. I have reset the breaker and tried eliminating different sources, however, it only now trips with the water chiller. Something happened when I put the new water jug on top of it. All internal wires appear to be in normal configuration. Any help on this matter would be greatly appreciated. I have been using this water chiller for several years (indoors) I have never had a issue before. Calling an electrician would surely cost more than a new water chiller. I would really like some insight on what is going on. Thanks.

[@monir9696]

Can you help? I have a Samsung electric smoothtop stove. It doesn't matter if I have the top going or the oven, if I turn the other on it trips the breaker. Just replaced the breaker and it's still tripping, any ideas? Thanks Monica

[@sfcd4757]

Probably the wrong sized outlet was installed (15Amp) when it requires 20...same with the breaker (that needs to match the outlet size

[@rcsquaredinc5484]

Hi, I have 2 AFCI breakers, both tripped, 1 instantly, and 1 after a few minutes. Nothing new was plugged in into these circuits. I also tried shutting off all breakers except these 2 but they would still behave the same way. Would replacing the breaker be my first option at this point? Thanks

[@miamiwax5504]

I replaced the breaker but it keeps tripping. Not much plugged in and I didn't screw in or damage anything.

[@heroknaderi]

I enjoyed it thanks

[@thefrontierofrepublic3234]

Thank you Bill

[@MisterBinx]

I think I have a circuit drawing 8 amps rated for 15 amps. The house is only 3 years old. I'm wondering if I should just install some LED bulbs in the bathroom or actually figure out why that one breaker has tripped twice in the past couple weeks.

[@thomaspiteo9821]

My garage door opener trips the breaker. A repairman changed my surge protector. It worked a few times but now trips it again when I push the button.

[@eye4z]

When my breaker kept tripping, I figured it was a lose wire in the wall outlet as it keeps sparking on sudden movement. I opened it to find out it was lose wiring with a few burned marks.

[@iamcedricpowell8051]

Thanks smart guy. 😁

[@warrenharrison1864]

78 people electrocuted themselves.

[@donaldshimkus539]

It's called culling the herd. Or, weeding out the dumb ones.

[@stevehartkopf9114]

As of today 184...

[@NA-zz9jo]

Steve Hartkopf as of today 246

[@murchekfamily6562]

Can you provide detail? Over what time period and area are you referencing?

[@Ducktruckful]

Hi Bill Great job! I was wandering? will a short between load to net. Like the screw. always trip the breaker on that wire , or can it trip Main breaker?

[@fernandespeter9232]

Hi Bill, I have very strange problem ----- Mcb trips with or without load after 8 to 10 minutes. I did try replacing it, but the problem remains the same. What could be the problem?

[@alexisgilmete5157]

Ahhhh. The extension cord might be my culprit. Very wise.

[@detleftank8351]

What may be the reason for both two-way switches to lose power without tripping the circuit-breaker? It is running a ceiling fan with 3 lights. Could it just be a defective fan? doesn't make sense to me to kill both switches.

[@KevinCoop1]

If you are pulling the chain on the fan to turn off the lights and the fan, and there is no voltage on either side of the switches, then the switches may be switching the neutral instead of the hot, which would be incorrect. Are you the one that wired it? Respectfully, Kevin

[@alsstewart8583]

Hi can any shed sum lite on my electrics in my home?? Workin ok then started to trip every 20mins I plugged my martingale socket tester in all dwn stairs sockets n found their was an earth fault, so replaced the front, n it was ok but its now tripped one side ov my dwn stairs sockets,, got me peeved off now,, any advice a real help🙏thanks

[@ffhdhdbndbdnbdgefdhd]

Hi...my microwave tripping Breaker, advice??

[@thaitichi]

Why did you stop making videos? These are great!

[@SweetDee928]

I read in the comments that he passed away same year he posted this video.

[@BigEightiesNewWave]

electrocution ?

[@BigEightiesNewWave]

@@SweetDee928 electrocuted ?

[@marksokolow7959]

Very good and clear.

[@Polychro89]

Ahh I didnt realize Breakers too die out over time, like outlets. how many amps an outlet takes, ok cool and yes this was very helpful!

[@perroblanco49]

when I have the microwave and some other appliance working like a toaster or an electric heater the breaker trips, then I won't have power in most of the outlets. could it be that too many things are connected to that breaker and it's overloaded? or maybe I need to replace the breaker for a new or a higher amp? I need an answer please!!

[@KevinCoop1]

The book for your microwave will say you need a dedicated circuit for it. The maximum you can run on a 20 amp breaker is 2400 watts or 20 amps. Look at the nameplates of your appliances to see which together will cause overload. But suggest dedicated microwave circuit minimum. Respectfully, Kevin

[@cliffwarmoth9070]

Informative video!

[@shananarocks]

Sorry to ask you this stupid question. According to my aunt's office staff, the reason why the office MCB keeps tripping on certain days over a period of six month is due to three x faulty (expired) UPS and ask her to replace those with new UPS. I was wondering why UPS can cause these trips on certain days and not everyday. I also notices that there were ongoing renovations and other seminars there with additional extension cables etc. My opinion is if the use of power tools during renovations could also cause those trips? Thanks!

[@ViperCardCollector]

He passed away 😢

[@sardarkiki6925]

Thank you so much, in my case, the circuit trips as soon as I plug the phone charger to the outlet, the circuit is 20 Amps.

[@BigEightiesNewWave]

get rid of that Chinese charger.

[@sardarkiki6925]

It’s not the charger. I found out that the wire is nailed.

[@jdubwo4220]

did you make a video for the other types?

[@danieljones4173]

I've changed the breaker and the plug my light still going g out downstairs

[@davinatest8467]

That’s for the info ...very helpful

[@lindarosenthal6835]

Great info. Thanks.

[@alinasir1834]

are these problems fixable?

[@ramildimaano3092]

i experience right now a tripping main breaker almost every an hour.i check amperage and its too low for a100 amps mainbreaker.whats the common cause

[@thomasmarable6818]

20 amp breakers will carry 20 amps all the time not just 80 percent they are design and listed for 20 amps. It will wear the breaker out quicker if it's noted rated for a continuous load. Which means for 3 hours or more at full load. Very few loads are ate full load that long.