Why Do Breakers Commonly Trip?
What Is a Circuit Breaker?
An electrical circuit breaker is designed to protect and control your electrical power systems from damage. Its essential function is to interrupt current flow to preserve equipment and prevent fire risk. It’s a switching device that can be operated manually or automatically. The switch will kick in and trip the circuit breaker to cut off electrical supply when there is an excess load of current or the flow is too powerful.
What Causes a Circuit Breaker to Trip?
Circuit Breakers are a protective measure to prevent electrical damage to a circuit. The breaker will trip in order to protect the circuit from causing damage or a potential fire. This will usually occur from 3 broad categories
Overloads
Short Circuits
Ground Fault Surges
Overloads?
Overloads are a common reason for circuits to trip. This will happen when you try to use more electricity than your circuit is made for The circuit breaker is designed for a certain capacity which matches how much load the wires in a circuit can carry.
If your circuit breaker is regularly tripping out it may be because you are demanding too much power from your circuit. You will need to redistribute your devices onto different circuits or upgrade your system so it has enough circuits for your demands.
Short Circuits?
Short circuits are also very common for circuit trips but are more threatening. This happens when the current of electricity finds a way to bypass the instrument on a path that has little or no resistance and a live wire comes in contact with a neutral one. This may also happen when there is fault in wiring or a loose connection.
When this happens, too much current will abruptly flow through the circuit and will create too much heat for the breaker. This will cause the circuit breaker to trip in order to prevent a fire.
Ground Fault Surges?
Ground fault surges happen when electricity takes an unplanned path to the ground. Similar to short circuits this causes an excessive flow of electricity that will cause the breaker to trip.
These issues can be extremely dangerous. If your circuit breakers are tripping regularly you can put your establishment at risk. Always call for professional help to resolve the issues.
