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Why your breaker keeps tripping
Three common causes, one you can fix yourself, and when to call an electrician.
Tasha Kim
Lead electrician
5 min read
A breaker that trips is doing its job. The question is why it keeps having to.
Overloaded circuit
A space heater and a hair dryer on the same circuit will do it. Move one to another room and see if it stops.
Short circuit or ground fault
If it trips the moment you reset it, stop resetting it. That points to a wiring fault we should look at.
A worn-out breaker
Breakers wear out too. A warm or buzzing breaker needs replacing.
Written by
Tasha Kim
Panels, rewires and the code questions everyone else forwards to her.
