If you’ve noticed your lights flickering, it’s not always because of the weather. It’s just as plausible that your circuit breaker is struggling to keep up with the demand for electricity in your home.
If you’ve noticed your lights flickering, it’s not always because of the weather. It’s just as plausible that your circuit breaker is struggling to keep up with the demand for electricity in your home. Many different devices all run on electricity, and it’s not always the modern gadgets that we take for granted that are the culprits. Here are some tips on how to figure out what is wrong whenever the circuits trip.
Common Causes of Circuit Breaker Problems
Overloads: Doing too much and using too much energy all at once leads to an overload. Overloads are the most common reason for most circuit breaker issues due to overheating.
Shorts: Short circuits happen more often than you think. If there is any loose wiring, you could be at risk of an electrical fire or failing an electrical inspection. That’s why making sure there is no possibility of a short circuit is so important.
Grounding Problems: You might also run into issues with improper grounding. Hot wires can touch grounded or neutral wires. They can also touch grounded junction boxes, which sends a rush of current into the connection, which also causes the wire to heat up too quickly.
Wonky Appliances: Think about the age of your appliances. Whether they are in the kitchen, the bathroom, or the laundry room, they could lead to any of the other problems outlined above.
Determining the Cause
A quick way to determine the cause of the circuit breaking is to think about what happened just before the power stopped flowing. In some cases, you can tell when it’s a total outage or just a circuit issue by seeing if other nearby lights and devices still work when you turn them on. It could be the vacuum cleaner’s fault, or you ran too many small appliances while trying to make breakfast. Using too much AC can also be a cause of this, so be more vigilant as the summer stretches on outside temperatures continue to climb.
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