Circuit Breaker Keeps Tripping in Perth: Causes and Fixes
When a circuit breaker keeps tripping, it is your switchboard telling you a circuit is under stress or has a fault. A circuit breaker keeps tripping to protect the wiring from overheating, so it is doing its job, not failing. Here is why a circuit breaker keeps tripping, how to find the cause, and when to call an electrician.
Breaker vs safety switch
It helps to know which device is tripping. A circuit breaker protects against overload and short circuits, while a safety switch, or RCD, protects against electric shock. If a circuit breaker keeps tripping, the usual cause is too much load or a short, rather than the earth leakage that trips an RCD.
6 reasons a circuit breaker keeps tripping
- Too many appliances overloading one circuit
- A short circuit in wiring or an appliance
- A faulty appliance drawing excess current
- A circuit with more load than it was designed for
- A loose or damaged connection
- An undersized or ageing circuit breaker
Overload: the usual suspect
The most common reason a circuit breaker keeps tripping is overload, too many appliances drawing power on one circuit at once. Running a heater, kettle and microwave on the same circuit can push it over its limit. Spreading the load, or having more circuits added, usually solves this kind of tripping.
Short circuits and faulty appliances
If a circuit breaker keeps tripping the instant you reset it, even with little plugged in, a short circuit or a faulty appliance is likely. Unplug everything on that circuit and reset. If it holds, plug items back one at a time to find the culprit. If it still trips empty, the wiring needs an electrician.
How to find the cause
Work out which circuit is affected, then reduce what is on it. If a circuit breaker keeps tripping only when a particular appliance runs, that appliance is the likely fault. If it trips at random or with nothing on, the problem is in the wiring or the breaker, and that is a job for a licensed electrician.
When it is the switchboard
Sometimes a circuit breaker keeps tripping because the board itself is old, overloaded, or has too few circuits for a modern home. In that case the fix is a switchboard upgrade that spreads the load and adds modern protection, so one busy circuit no longer trips constantly.
What not to do
Do not keep resetting a breaker over and over, or replace it with a higher-rated one to stop the tripping. That defeats the protection and can let the wiring overheat. If a circuit breaker keeps tripping and you cannot find an obvious overload, call a licensed electrician.
Does the breaker itself wear out?
Like any component, a breaker can weaken with age and trip too easily, or fail to reset. It is less common than overload or a faulty appliance, but an electrician can test it and replace it if it has become unreliable, which restores normal, dependable protection.
Modern boards trip less
Older boards with a few shared circuits trip far more than modern ones, simply because each circuit carries more. Splitting the load across more circuits during a switchboard upgrade means everyday appliances no longer overwhelm a single breaker, and nuisance tripping largely disappears.
Why use a licensed electrician
A breaker that keeps tripping for no clear reason points to a wiring fault or an overloaded board, which is licensed work to fix. A licensed electrician finds the cause and resolves it safely. The state’s Building and Energy sets the standards involved.
Got a circuit breaker that keeps tripping in Perth?
ACS Electrical finds the fault and fixes it across the metro. Explore our circuit breaker types guide, safety switch tripping guide or switchboard upgrades service. Call 0419 967 838.
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