We have new wiring by a licensed electrician, and everything has been fine from June 06 until Monday morning when a breaker started throwing, just about every 30 or 45 minutes....only one, and of course it would be the one my computer is on. By later in the day Monday, it was only doing it every 2 or 3 hours. My husband put a new 20 amp breaker in it, and it still kept doing it, but only after several hours. Yesterday evening, he put in a new 30 amp breaker, which the electrician said would be fine, and we thought that would take care of the problem. We got up this morning, and it had thrown during the night. The breaker that throws has a ceiling light, not a big one, 2 recessed lights over the desk, my computer, printer, monitor, telephone, computer speakers, and a portable dvd burner on it. All of the computer things are plugged into a power strip, that still appears to be working right. I will get electrician out here, but just wanted any input available.
2007-01-16 23:28:36 · 7 answers · asked by ebg_baf 1 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
some computers will do that. the newest electrical code requires something called "arc fault circuit breaker" - which is good because it won't let an electrical arc develop and potentially cause a fire. it's also bad, because some of the newer computers, especially gaming ones, draw a large amount of power, a huge spike, the instant they start, thus setting off the arc fault circuit breaker. if your computer has a large power supply, say, 1 kW ones, that will certainly do it.
you may want to do a fun little exercise. you listed a few pieces of equipment; take out a sheet of paper, and note the wattages on all of the pieces. add all the wattages up. divide the number by 115 (volts). the number you got is the maximum number of amps that will be used on that circuit.
2007-01-16 23:44:54 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
First thing you should is put the original breaker back in. 12 gauge wire is only allowed up to 20amps, if the wire is 14 gauge a max of 15amps is allowed. That is per NEC(National Electrical Code) regulations. Sounds like its a ground problem within the circuit. You may want the electrician to install an isolated receptacle for the computer.
Unplugg everything in the room and try plugging in some other applainces and see if the breaker still trips. If problem still occurs then its most likely a ground fault in circuit. A 20amp breaker should only have a max load of 1900 watts and 1400 watts for 15amps. I hope this information can help you.
2007-01-19 09:10:45 · answer #2 · answered by RJB ELECTRIC 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You could have a short, a bad contact in the breaker panel, too heavy an amp load on the circuit caused by a ground fault in one of the pieces of equipment, or in the power strip. I would try replacing the strip with one that indicates ground status, and then taking things off the circuit one at a time. A bad ground can be very hard to find. If you rearranged your power cables into a coil recently, you could be causing an inductive capacitance loop. I have had that happen in IT racks with a lot of equipment in them. You might also consider a smart UPS to log when the power fails and what the load was when it happened.
2007-01-17 00:48:53 · answer #3 · answered by crossbones668 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Hi, Dee. Your breaker is doing it's job, in effect telling you something's not right, in this case like a short. Take a few minutes to see if anything else is dead when that breaker is tripped, as that could be the source of the problem. Back at the washer, unplugging it, then resetting the breaker, then plugging in the washer and starting it again can confirm if that's it. I'd call an appliance repair tech.
2016-03-29 01:23:02 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Sounds as if there might be some moisture in the system somewhere or that possibly some critter has made themselves a nest amongst the wiring (could be animal or insect). Check the light fixture for signs of moisture and the outlet boxes to see if there isn't a nest of some kind.
Your are doing the right thing by having a pro check it out.
2007-01-16 23:49:36 · answer #5 · answered by MT C 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
HEAT. Either by overcurrent, or the heat from the breakers above and below the one that is tripping. Most likey a weak breaker.
2007-01-19 09:45:19 · answer #6 · answered by nope n 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
wire has short. slight leak perhaps where a staple is. meter between breaker & wire should show current usage when nno appliance is plugged into circuit.
2007-01-16 23:47:32 · answer #7 · answered by enord 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋