CIRCUIT BREAKER

CIRCUIT BREAKER

A circuit breaker is an automatically operated electrical switch designed to protect an electrical circuit from damage caused by overload or short circuit. Its basic function is to detect a fault condition and interrupt or “break” the current flow.

It is designed to trip off when they detect too much power (Amps) running through the circuit it’s protecting. This is what to watch for.

There are three main reasons a circuit breaker trips:

1.Short Circuit:

Short circuits occur when two electrical wires accidentally touch each other or ground out. A short circuit will immediately cause one of your circuit breakers to trip off or one of your fuses to blow.

2.Overloaded Circuit:

Overloaded circuits occur when too much power/Amps is running through an electrical wire. To protect the wire, the circuit breaker does its job by detecting the overload and tripping off. The solution to this problem is to remove some of the appliances that are connected to the overloaded wires. You may also wish to add additional circuits to provide you with more power. Armstrong Electric can add another branch circuit to the desired location so more appliances can be used!

3.Failed Circuit Breaker:

Sometimes circuit breakers just wear out due to age, environment, stress, and need to be replaced. Over time the components of the breaker can wear down and start to malfunction. This can cause the breaker to trip, even under small loads or the breaker may not trip and cause the wire to get excessively hot and could create a potential fire hazard. Nuisance tripping is a sign of a failed breaker.