Why does the circuit breaker trip everytime I use my blowdryer?

Question

I just moved in to an older(15yr) old apartment complex. There are only eleven units in the building. I have third floor, two bedroom, two bath w/washer & dryer. Whenever I use my blowdryer in either of the bathrooms(or bedrooms) the circuit breaker trips. My limited knowledge of electricity tells me too much power is being drawn on the current causing the wires to overheat and tripping the breaker. Is that correct? The manager sent an electrician over(I'm not sure what work he performed) but the problem still exists. Also, most all of the electrical outlets in the apartment are lose, I mean, when I pug an appliance in, the prongs almost fall out of the plug. Is that because the electrical outlets are just worn out? Help, my hair is still wet!!

I purchased a new blowdeyer, but the problem persists,

Answer 1

Sounds like the apartment manager got the cheapest person he could to tell you that he fixed it. Obviously he didn't. The breaker could be going bad (I had one recently that went bad in a breezeway) but the best bet is that you have it overloaded. You should be able to find someone who has a amp probe. They can hook it up & see how much the circuit is drawing, any decent electrician will have one.

Answer 2

You were right when you guessed there was too much current being drawn on that circuit. The cicuit breaker was designed to trip when too much current is being drawn (for safety purposes), but buying a new hair dryer won't help much unless the new hair dryer is a lot less powerful and draws significantly less power.

The building is probably very old and the outlets should be replaced if the plugs fall out, but it's possible the whole building might need rewiring.

Check to see what other electrical appliances are being used at the same time when you are drying your hair. If you turn off the TV and the stereo and the computer and whatever else uses electricity in your apartment, then you might be able to dry your hair without tripping the breaker. If this doesn't work, you could ask your neighbors to turn off all their high power appliances for a few minutes while you dry your hair, or you could just do it when everyone is asleep or at work and hopefully not using a lot of electricity.
You could try different outlets too. Sometimes the outlets are on different circuits and you might find one that is not so overloaded already.
Another possible solution is to put in a circuit breaker that will trip at a higher current draw, but you should have an electrician (a good one, not just a maintenance guy) check it out so he can determine if it is safe to replace the breaker and to make sure it doesn't violate the building codes for safety. Yu should also have him tighten the screws at the breaker box because sometimes they come lose at the ground wire, but this is really all the responsibility of your landlord. Ask him if he will allow you to deduct from your rent the cost of having it fixed, and I assure you he will have it done for you very quickly. He knows how much it will cost and is trying to save some money, but you have certain rights as a tenant depending on what state you live in.

If all else fails, there's always a towel, or a friends house. I would go to my friends mom's house because she always fixes me something to eat when I come over. :-)

Answer 3

the circuit breakers you are trying to use may be too small try using the blowdryer in another outlet that is not protected by a gfci then you can dry your hair probably if this works you can ask an electrician to install a larger gfci breaker if the wires are big enough good luck

Answer 4

It sounds like you've got some crappy wiring in that place, and you might need to get a real electrician to check it. Apartment managers tend to hire the cheapest maintenance people, so they're not always reliable.

The other possibility is that the hair dryer is messed up. Try a different dryer and see if you have the same problem.

JMB

Answer 5

Something's not right if the electrician already checked it out and it is still happening - there is too much on the circuit and should be fixed so as not to overload it

Answer 6

You need to have the breaker in the fuse box replaced with a larger breaker, its too weak for the power you are using, and be careful not to go with to large breaker it will not trip, you need new plugs for safety replace them all .