Why does my breaker keep tripping?

A breaker that trips is a safety device working. The question is why. Resetting it over and over hides the reason and heats up whatever is wrong.

The four common causes

1. Overload. Too many high-draw things on one circuit at once: a space heater, a hair dryer, a microwave, a window unit. A common 15-amp circuit is meant to carry about 1,440 watts continuously, and one space heater can use 1,500.
2. Short circuit. A hot wire touching a neutral or ground, usually inside a damaged cord, a failing appliance or a damaged wire. This trips instantly.
3. Ground fault. Current leaking to ground, often from moisture outdoors, in a bathroom or at a pool. GFCI devices are built to trip on this.
4. Loose connection. Outlets in a room are usually wired in a chain, often around ten to a circuit. The first outlet in the chain carries the load of all the others, and a loose or backstabbed connection there can heat, arc and trip the breaker even with nothing plugged into it.

What you can safely try once

• Unplug everything on that circuit.
• Push the breaker fully OFF, then ON.
• Plug things back in one at a time and watch for the one that trips it.

Arc fault breakers trip for more reasons

Newer homes have AFCI breakers on bedroom and living area circuits. They are designed to detect arcing, which means a loose connection, a bad outlet or even some motors can trip them. When an AFCI trips sporadically, the fix is finding the weak connection, not replacing the breaker with a standard one.

When the breaker itself is the problem

Breakers wear out. A breaker that will not stay on with nothing connected, feels hot, or is in a panel past its 20 to 25 year service life may need replacing. Some older panel brands are known for breakers that do not trip when they should, which is worse than one that trips too often. We check the breaker, the panel and the circuit, and we replace the breaker only when the breaker is the problem. See circuit breaker repair.

How we find it

A licensed journeyman tests the circuit under load, opens the outlets in the chain to check for backstabbed or loose connections, checks the breaker and its connection in the panel, and looks for moisture where a GFCI is involved. You get the cause and the price for the fix before any work starts.

Seasonal patterns we see

In winter, space heaters are the most common overload: one heater plus a hair dryer or a microwave on the same circuit is enough. In summer, window units and freezers in the garage do the same thing. If the trips follow the season, the answer may be a dedicated circuit for the heavy load rather than any repair.