But in order to avoid having it happen again, it is also important that you understand why the breaker has tripped or the fuse has blown. In rare cases, the breaker may be damaged and will need to be replaced by a professional.
But in most cases, the breaker or fuse is just doing its job when it pops. Circuit breakers are designed to trip and fuses are designed to blow and turn off the power when any of four dangerous situations occur. An overloaded electrical circuit is the most common reason for a circuit breaker tripping. It occurs when a circuit is attempting to draw a greater electrical load than it is intended to carry. When too many appliances or light fixtures are operating at the same time, the internal sensing mechanism in the circuit breaker heats up, and the breaker "trips," usually by means of a spring-loaded component within the breaker.
This breaks the continuous pathway of the breaker and renders the circuit inactive. The circuit remains dead until the breaker lever is reset to the ON position, which also re-arms the internal spring mechanism. The circuit breaker or fuse is sized to match the load-carrying capacity of the wires in that circuit. Hence, the breaker or fuse is intended to trip or blow before the circuit wires can heat to a dangerous level. When a circuit breaker regularly trips or a fuse repeatedly blows, it is a sign that you are making excessive demands on the circuit and need to move some appliances and devices to other circuits.
Or, it may indicate that your house has too few circuits and is in need of a service upgrade. Usually when a circuit is overloaded, the breaker takes seconds to trip due to a time delay feature internal to the breaker. A short circuit is a more serious reason for a breaker tripping.
A "hard short" is caused when the hot wire black touches a neutral wire white , the bare Ground or Bond wire, or the case of a metal box. In terms of the physics involved, a short circuit allows for a sudden unimpeded flow of electricity due to lowered resistance, and this sudden increase in current flow within the breaker causes the tripping mechanism to activate.
But sometimes a short circuit occurs not because of the circuit wiring at all, but because of a wiring problem in an appliance or device plugged into an outlet along the circuit. Short circuits, therefore, can be a bit difficult to diagnose and fix and may call for the help of a professional electrician.
The presence of a short circuit can be indicated when a circuit breaker trips again instantly after you reset it. A particular type of short circuit, a " ground-fault ," occurs if a hot wire comes in contact with a ground wire or a metal wall box or touches metal framing members.
Ground faults can be especially dangerous when they occur in areas with high levels of moisture, such as kitchens or bathrooms, or in outdoor locations.
A ground fault carries a definite risk of shock. Choose color black white green blue red orange yellow navi. Underline links. Highlight Links. Clear cookies. Images Greyscale. Invert Colors. Remove Animations. Accessibility by WAH. Panel burn can also be caused by defective circuit breakers. There are several reasons a breaker can become defective, including wear and tear due to operating conditions, excessive current, aging, corrosion, moisture, or even just faulty manufacturing.
Many of these issues cause overheating, and overheating puts additional strain on the materials your breaker is constructed from. Typically, replacing a breaker is inexpensive and should be done right away if one becomes defective. If you want to avoid your panel burning out, there are a few ways you can help the matter. First, having your electrical system regularly inspected is a great way to identify issues or problems that could eventually lead to panel burnout.
That reduces your electrical demand, and thus reduces the amount of energy flowing through your panel. That way your panel will be under significantly lighter load during the most extreme conditions of the day.
If you open your electrical panel and you both smell burned plastic and see signs of burn damage, you should call a professional for help right away. If a good number of your breakers are showing signs of damage then you may need to have your panel significantly serviced. There are two options for this: panel replacement and panel rejuvenation.
Panel replacement is the more expensive and labor-intensive option of the two.
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