Appliances That Can Trip Your Circuit Breaker
Often, you might have noticed that the lights in your house go fuzzy or dim for a moment when you turn certain home appliances on, or you hear a loud snap and the entire room goes dark. Even if you are not an electrical expert, you should know that the lights going out are actually a sign that your breaker went off. Circuit breakers are installed in your house to protect your electrical fittings and appliances in case of a power surge or low voltage.
If you open up your home’s main service box, you will see a lot of flip switches that would be currently facing upwards. This means that your entire house is receiving electricity right now. All of the breakers are connected to the main breaker, which is larger in size and can be easily indicated inside the box. Its job is to turn off the electricity to the entire house in case of a major power surge or short circuit that can’t be controlled by any individual breaker.
The moment a breaker trips and a part of the house goes dark, you’ll know which one it is by looking at which breaker is flipped down now. If your breakers trip a lot more than usual, you need to call an experienced electrician in Vancouver right away.
Now that we have seen how breakers work, let’s also have a look at the appliances that contribute the most to tripping circuit breakers.
What Trips Your Circuit Breaker
Circuit breakers normally trip in two conditions: either there is a short circuit or fault in your wiring, or there is an overload. In both cases, the breaker will continue to trip until the problem is resolved, so make sure to identify the main culprit before you keep flipping up the breaker if it trips repeatedly.
Here are some of the appliances that cause your breakers to trip.
Hair Dryers
Hairdryers have become a necessity nowadays, especially because people don’t have the time to let their hair air dry naturally. Although there are many debates about their effect on the hair, yet they continue to be used a lot. Hairdryers have a power rating between 800 and 2000 watts, and they draw a serious amount of power in a very short time, mainly because they have to produce such high heat.
Due to the high amount of electricity being utilized, if you plug it into a faulty socket or have a lot of other appliances running at the same, your hairdryer will tip the power utilization over the edge, causing the circuit breaker to your bathroom or bedroom to trip instantly. The same also applies to flat irons and curling irons.
Irons
If you are going through your life without having to worry about wrinkles on your clothes, kudos to you. However, most people are very particular about ironed and creased clothing, which is why nearly every house has an iron. Similar to hair dryers, irons also produce a high amount of heat quickly, and their power rating also ranges anywhere between 800 to 3000 watts.
The more power your iron draws, the more likely you are to experience a temporary power outage due to a breaker trip. Usually, people plug their irons in power sockets in their bedrooms, living rooms or in the hallway. These sockets are not as efficient as those in your kitchen and bathroom, which is why your circuit breaker goes off every now and then. Moreover, if you have a garment steamer, it can also have the same effect on the breakers.
Extension Cords
We use extension cords to bring a power socket close to us, and also to plug in multiple devices when you have only one power outlet close to you. Although they are made for convenience and utility, not all extension cords and power strips are made using high-quality materials, which also affect their performance and load-bearing capabilities.
Another major reason for the frequent tripping of your breaker is the use of extension cords or power strips. Although using just one or two is fine, anything more than that can become a problem for you. If you are using your extension cords for low-powered appliances and devices like laptops, televisions, and other items, then you have nothing to worry about.
However, if you use them for larger appliances, it will result in a major power draw, which can easily trip your circuit breakers. Moreover, your extension cords can only handle a certain amount of power. Overutilization can also cause their fuse to burn or their sockets to fry up, so be careful in their usage.
Refrigerators
In today’s world, you can’t imagine spending a day with your refrigerator turned off, since most of the foods we eat are frozen or kept cold for freshness. The new and advanced refrigerators that you find nowadays are much more energy-efficient than the old ones but since refrigerators last for at least a decade and even more.
Once they start getting older, their compressor draws in a lot of power and also trips on random occasions, especially when the weather is too hot. Therefore, you can expect your breaker to trip because of your refrigerator a few times every week.
Vacuum Cleaners
Vacuum cleaners are also power-hungry appliances with a power rating north of 1000 watts, no matter how small it may be. Once you turn it on, it starts pulling in a high amount of electricity, and if your refrigerator, microwave, air conditioning, and other large appliances are running at the same time, it would cause a power surge that would take out some of your circuit breakers or even the main breaker that controls the entire home. Since vacuum cleaners are used every once in a while, you can always turn off other appliances for a short time as you clean up the house to avoid tripping a breaker.
Fans
You may be surprised to see fans on this list. A single fan or two doesn’t do anything to your electrical system, but in the summertime, you may be running 4 or 5 fans at the same time, or maybe even more than that. Collectively, these fans draw a lot of power, and when you add other running appliances to the mix, you are bound to trip some breakers. Mostly, each room of the house is connected to different breakers, which means that your fans will also be distributed amongst these breakers. This doesn’t mean that all of the breakers might trip, but only those which already have high power utilization.
Kitchen Appliances
We are largely spoiled by all of the kitchen appliances that have made our lives easier. These appliances include grinders, choppers, mixers, blenders, juicers, and whatnot. Thanks to these appliances, tasks that would otherwise take a lot of time and effort can be done in mere minutes and with the perfection of course.
Although these are relatively small appliances, their power rating can be up to 1000 watts, and most people also use multiple kitchen appliances at the same time. When you plug them in while many of the large appliances are also powered on, you put a heavy load on your circuit breakers, and they can trip to prevent your appliance from overheating or its motor getting burned.
Microwaves
Microwaves are also a part of kitchen appliances and just like many appliances in your home, they also produce a high amount of heat to warm up your food. In any normal household, a microwave ranging from 1000 to 3000 watts runs a few times every day. Since it consumes a lot of power, it can easily overload the circuit breaker and cause it to trip.
Just like refrigerators, a microwave is also an appliance that grows old with you, and the older they get, the more problems they start to create for your electrical circuits. Plus, they also consume more electricity once they start getting older, which is why most experts say that you shouldn’t hold on to your old appliances.
Air Fryers
Air Fryers are the new cooking appliances that have become so popular that everyone is rushing to buy them now. They can be used to cook anything without a drop of oil, thus making them popular among people who are looking for easy ways to cook, as well as those who are looking to eat healthily. Air fryers are also power-hungry appliances, and they need to run for at least 10 to 15 minutes to cook any food. The time can be greater if you are cooking meat.
Thus, if the air fryer is operated for such a long time, it can cause your circuit breaker to trip, especially if you use it in tandem with the larger appliances that are usually always on. As a result, your cooking may get interrupted several times due to the breaker tripping every now and then.
Washing Machines
A washing machine is another essential appliance in our homes nowadays. Without it, you can’t imagine having to wash clothes with your hands and squeezing them to remove all of the water. Although they are highly useful, washing machines also consume a lot of power. In most homes, the machine and dryer are separate, so you can double the power consumption if you run both of them at the same time.
Therefore, when the washing machine runs for too long, it can cause a breaker to trip, especially if the breaker also supports other large appliances. This is why experts recommend that large appliances should be distributed across multiple circuit breakers.
Old Appliances
In general, if any of your small or large appliances has surpassed the 10-year mark, not only will it consume more power, but it can also contribute to tripping your breakers every now and then. Most people have refrigerators, microwaves, air conditioners, and many other appliances that have been running for 2 or 3 decades, and they don’t realize how much power they are wasting by holding on to them.
What Actually Causes Breakers to Trip
By now, you have a good idea of what appliances are mostly responsible for causing breakers to trip, but it is also important to see the main reasons for breakers to actually trip. Let’s have a look at some of the common causes below.
Circuit Overload
This is one of the major reasons why circuit breakers often trip, and it happens when the circuit has to give out more power than its rated capacity. When you put a lot of appliances on one circuit or use an extension cord to power up heavy appliances, it causes the circuit and wiring to get overheated, and it causes a major threat to all of the appliances that are connected.
Thus, the circuit breaker trips to protect your appliances from getting fried. If the circuit breaker isn’t installed, not only would all your appliances be affected, but it can also start an electrical fire that can cause major damage to your home.
Short Circuits
If you think a circuit overload is dangerous, short circuits can be a lot worse. It is caused when a live or hot wire comes loose and touches a neutral wire inside one of the electrical outlets inside your home. This causes a huge amount of current to flow through the circuit, instead of returning through the neutral wire. As a result, the circuit will generate a lot more heat than it can handle.
In such a situation, the breaker will instantly trip and protect your appliances from getting burnt, as well as preventing an electrical fire. Short circuits often happen because of things like faulty wiring or loose connections. When your breaker trips and try to flip it on, you will notice a burning smell around it, which will instantly indicate a short circuit.
Ground Fault Surges
Similar to short circuits, ground fault surges also cause your breakers to trip as a protective measure. When a live wire touches the ground wire instead of the neutral wire, it will cause a lot of electricity to pass through the ground wire, which it can’t handle. This can also cause overheating or electrical fires, because of which the circuit breaker trips instantly.
You can also identify whether the circuit breaker has tripped due to a ground fault surge. To do this, simply have a look at the power outlets that are connected to the breaker that has just tripped. If you notice any discoloration or signs of burning, you would be able to detect the issue.
What to Do When Your Breaker Trips
You must be wondering, “What do I actually do when the breaker trips? Do I just go and turn it back up?” While that seems like the appropriate course of action, you can’t keep flipping your breakers up after every few minutes. If the breaker trips out of the blue and it stays on when you flip it back up, this means that everything is alright and you don’t need to worry.
However, if your breaker keeps tripping after every few minutes, then there is a more serious underlying issue that needs to be addressed. One thing you can do is to remove any appliances that you have just plugged in and turn the breaker on again. If it works, then your appliance is putting too much load on the circuit.
As mentioned above, if you notice a burning smell near the breaker or discoloration around the power outlet, then it means that there is a more serious issue, such as a short circuit, ground fault, or circuit overload.
You can test for circuit overload by turning off all of the switches and unplugging the appliances in the area covered by the breaker that keeps tripping. Once everything is off, turn on the breaker and start switching on your appliances and fittings one by one. During this process, if the breaker goes off again, turn everything off and try again, this time in a different order.
Although this is quite time-consuming, this process will give you an idea of how many appliances you can safely run on your circuit without causing the breaker to trip. After you have determined this, you can either move your appliances to plug them into a different circuit or get a circuit breaker with a higher capacity.
Last but not least, the best method is to exercise caution when your circuit breaker trips, and turn off some of the non-essential appliances if you need to turn it back on immediately. However, if the breaker keeps tripping every few minutes, then it is better to keep it off for a while, and immediately get in touch with an electrician in Vancouver.
They are experienced professionals who know their way around an electrical circuit, and once you get the entire electrical wiring inspected by them, they will be able to diagnose the problem much better and also resolve it in the least possible time, thus saving you hundreds of dollars. Although electricity is a necessity, it can also be quite hazardous if you are not careful.