Breaker Keeps Tripping? What It Means and What You Can Safely Check

When a breaker trips, part of the house goes dark and the switch in the panel sits in the middle or in the off position. It is annoying, but it means the breaker did its job: it cut the power before the wires got too hot. If the breaker keeps tripping, something on that circuit asks for more than it can safely carry.

How fast it trips tells you a lot. A breaker that trips after a few minutes, while something big is running, points to an overload. One that trips the moment you reset it, or with nothing plugged in, points to a short circuit or a ground fault in the wiring, and that is an electrician's job.

Start With These 30-Second Checks

1. 1Note what was running when it tripped: a space heater, a hair dryer, a microwave, a vacuum or a window AC.
2. 2Look for scorch marks, a burning smell or a warm cover at the outlets and switches on that circuit. If you find any, stop here and call an electrician.
3. 3Check the bathroom, kitchen, garage and outdoor outlets for a GFCI with a tripped button. One GFCI can cut the power to other outlets further along.
4. 4Read the labels in the panel to see which rooms the breaker feeds.

1. Reset the Breaker the Right Way

A tripped breaker often sits in the middle position, and it will not turn back on until you push it all the way off first.

1. 1Turn off or unplug everything that was running on that circuit.
2. 2Stand on a dry floor with dry hands, and open only the panel's small door, never the cover behind it.
3. 3Find the breaker that sits in the middle or off position. Push it firmly all the way to OFF, then back to ON.
4. 4If it trips again right away with everything unplugged, leave it off and call an electrician.

2. Find an Overloaded Circuit

Each circuit has a limit. A standard 15 amp circuit at 120 volts carries 1,800 watts, and for devices that run for hours it should stay under 80 percent of that, about 1,440 watts. A space heater on high draws around 1,500 watts by itself, so a heater and a hair dryer on the same circuit are enough to trip it.

1. 1Unplug everything on the tripped circuit, then reset the breaker as above.
2. 2Plug the devices back in and switch them on one at a time, waiting a few minutes after each.
3. 3When it trips, note the last device you added and what else was running.
4. 4Move heaters, hair dryers and kitchen appliances to outlets on other circuits, or run them at different times.
5. 5Plug a space heater straight into a wall outlet, never into an extension cord or a power strip.

3. A Faulty Appliance or Cord

If one device trips the breaker even when nothing else is running, the device itself is likely faulty: a worn cord, a failing motor or water inside it.

1. 1Unplug the suspect device and look at the cord and the plug for cuts, melting or burn marks. If you find any, or the device got wet or smells hot, stop here: do not plug it in again, have it repaired or replaced.
2. 2Only if it looks fine and is dry: plug it in, switched off, on a different circuit, then switch it on. If that breaker trips too, the device is the problem.
3. 3Stop using any device that trips breakers, and have it repaired or replaced.
4. 4If the breaker for your central AC is the one that trips, see AC not cooling.
5. 5If bulbs on the same circuit also burn out fast, see light bulbs keep burning out.

4. GFCI and AFCI Trips

Newer homes have breakers and outlets that trip for other reasons than overload. A GFCI cuts the power when current leaks to ground, for example through water. An AFCI cuts it when it detects arcing, such as from a damaged cord or a loose connection.

1. 1Look before you touch: if the GFCI outlet or the wall around it is wet, do not touch it. Leave it off until it is completely dry, and if water keeps getting in, switch off its breaker.
2. 2Unplug everything on the GFCI and the outlets after it, then press its RESET button firmly.
3. 3Plug the devices back in one at a time to find the one that trips the GFCI or the AFCI every time.
4. 4An AFCI that trips often with nothing obvious plugged in can mean damaged wiring or a loose connection: call an electrician.

5. A Worn Breaker or a Wiring Fault

Breakers can wear out after many trips, and wiring faults hide in the walls. Neither is something to fix yourself.

1. 1A breaker that trips with nothing on the circuit, or that feels warm, needs an electrician.
2. 2A buzzing or crackling panel, or a burning smell from an outlet: switch that breaker off if you can do so safely, and call an electrician the same day.
3. 3Breakers get replaced only by an electrician, with the type and rating the panel is made for.
4. 4HomeAdvisor puts an electrician's service call at about $100 to $200 for the first hour. Fixr puts fixing a breaker that keeps tripping at $200 to $2,000, depending on the cause.