My husband plugged in an electric heater which tripped the breaker. We unplugged the heater and reset the breaker and everything worked fine until the next morning. The breaker had tripped again during the night so we reset it again and it stayed on for a few minutes then turned back off. We tried a several times but it keeps kicking back off. We replaced the breaker, hoping the problem was there, but it continues to kick. How do we find a short, besides tearing down walls to see the wiring? My husband took electricity in high school (he's 22), but he can't think of anything. Please help! I don't want our house to burn down!
2007-01-28 04:25:06 · 7 answers · asked by Andi G 1 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
We haven't plugged the heater back in since the first time the breaker kicked.
2007-01-28 04:49:19 · update #1
An electric heater draws between 12 and 15 amps, this effectively loads the circuit to it's max. We see this every winter, breakers tripping due to overload. Turn the breaker off, locate every dead plug in , unplug everything from these outlets, reset the breaker and see if it holds. If the breaker still trips you have a low impedance short. { like a toaster, or oven } At this point remove the outlets {breaker off} and check for corrosion on the terminals. Ninety percent of the time you will find the problem there. If you still can't fix the problem, You will have to call an electrician. Good luck!
2007-01-28 04:58:22 · answer #1 · answered by bearcat 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You could unplug everything on that circuit and let it sit for a day or two. If the breaker blows during that time, get an electrician immediately, you have a dangerous problem.
If the breaker does not blow, plug a few things back in and wait for a day. By process of elimination, you can find which thing is causing the problem. Once you find it, it's location may give you some clues about where the problem is. It might be a bad wire or a bad connection in the wall. If it is, again call a pro ASAP.
Normally, if a wire or connection is damaged and not supplying enough power, it will not blow the breaker. Electric motors can cause that statment to be incorrect, but not too many people have motors that are plugged into an outlet.
It would be much more common for you to have an outlet that no longer works, so this is not a simple problem. You have already replaced the breaker so we know that isn't it.
If it was melted insulation on the wires, it would be more likely that the breaker would trip immediately when you reset it. It is conceivable that the is the case and the wires only touch intermittantly. Possible, but extremely uncommon.
Do all the other outlets and lights in the house work when the breaker is on? If so, I can't think of anything beyond unplugging everything or calling a pro.
P.S. it has nothing to do with the wire size vs the breaker size. At this point, that can't be a factor. It might have been originally, but not now that the heater is unplugged.
2007-01-28 18:54:05 · answer #2 · answered by DSM Handyman 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
As I understand it the heater was not used again on that circuit, and you also replaced the breaker.
The easiest approach would be to replace the outlet where the heater was used. While you have that open examine the condition of the wire. If it looks or smells burnt, or the insulation is brittle, the wire needs to be replaced.
Don't keep reseting the breaker in the mean time - something is wrong, and it could be smoldering in the walls.
Ideally you should get an electrician.
2007-01-28 21:11:07 · answer #3 · answered by KirksWorld 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You've got some excellent answers so far. Knowing how a breaker works and the fact that you are leery of a fire tells me you have an idea. breakers have a mi-metal spring inside it. When that bi-metal spring heats up it expands and forces the switch or breaker to trip. Resetting it to soon and the tripping that follows so quickly tells you that the spring is still hot and expanding ever more guickly. now something you haven't discussed is the gauge of the household wiring(size of the wire). It is very common for people to up the amp rating of the breaker to resolve tripping problems. So it might be that the wire is of less capacity. If it now trips all the time it can also indicate that some damage was done and wires have burned to the extent where there insulation no longer shields it and there is a short in a wall. I'll give you no advice but one, get an electrician! Please, things that seem common sense in wiring can be deadly. Get a professional!
2007-01-28 13:29:30 · answer #4 · answered by cuttlekid 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
The way I read your question,you say the breaker was still tripping without the heater plugged in.This is a dangerous situation ,the load the heater was putting on the line either melted a wire or maybe a receptacle.I would call in a pro right away ,you could be taking a gamble trying to repair this yourself.Do not Wait this is a fire hazard.
2007-01-28 17:03:02 · answer #5 · answered by mr. mr. 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
move the heater to another room that is not on the same circuit, if the tripping breaker moves it is the heater
list what goes off when it trips, unplug one at a time
make sure he tightened the screw on the new breaker really good
Get rid of the electric heater they are dangerous
2007-01-28 12:32:10 · answer #6 · answered by mr_jim51 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Try your plugs one at a time see which one kicks it off, you need to unplug everything first....
2007-01-28 12:31:42 · answer #7 · answered by troble # one? 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋