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Yes, circuit breakers can malfunction or die after a short or very long time. It could have had a minor manufacturing defect that took time to develop, such as a nick in a piece of metal. It could be that the lubricant inside spread and gummed up the works, that the spring lost tension, or any number of other things.
If you reset it and it immediately trips again, you either have a short, an overloaded circuit, or the breaker is bad. Remove all loads and try again. If it still trips, odds are that it is bad. If that's the case, get a qualified electrician to swap this breaker for an identical breaker to be sure.
Wiki User
∙ 13y ago
Wiki User
∙ 12y agoA circuit breaker trips when the amount of electric current passing through it goes higher than its normal current rating.
More detail
The breaker trips to cut off the current flowing into in the circuit which the breaker is protecting.
It is because of a fault - an electrical short in the wiring or in an appliance - that causes the circuit breaker to trip.
If you - or an experienced person such as a licensed electrician - can find and fix the fault , then the breaker will not trip to cut off the current.
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As always, if you are in doubt about what to do, the best advice anyone should give you is to call a licensed electrician to advise what work is needed.
Before you do any work yourself,
on electrical circuits, equipment or appliances,
always use a test meter to ensure the circuit is, in fact, de-energized.
IF YOU ARE NOT ALREADY SURE YOU CAN DO THIS JOB
SAFELY AND COMPETENTLY
REFER THIS WORK TO QUALIFIED PROFESSIONALS.
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoNot usually. If there has been frequent tripping on the unit the internal mechanism will have been worn to a point where the breaker may trip at a lower current that what the breaker is listed at. There are circuit breakers that have been in service for twenty years and still trip on a fault. Now on the other hand if the breaker is being used as a switch at the distribution panel, this will wear the breaker out. There are breakers designed to be used as a switch whose internal structure is stronger to take the wear. These types of breakers are usually used in warehouses where specific light is needed. This saves money on the electrical bill as the whole warehouse does not have to be illuminated all the time.
Wiki User
∙ 15y agoNot usually. If they are being used as switches to turn off light banks in warehouses they have to be replaced frequently as they are designed to be a switch. Breakers are meant to just stay on and trip on shorts or overloads. Continuous tripping and resetting without finding out what the fault that is tripping them is, will weaken the trip mechanism to a point that they won't reset any more. These have to be replaced.
Wiki User
∙ 14y agoAs with any electrical component, breakers can become defective.
Wiki User
∙ 14y agoYes, they are not switches and not made to cycle daily. A few times does not hurt them.
Wiki User
∙ 11y agoyes
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What has replaced fuses in the main fuse box in a house?
Resettable circuit breakers.
What breaker boxes are compatible with GE circuit breakers?
GE circuit breakers with catalog numbers ranging from THQL1115 through to THQL1150 can be substituted like for like with Cutler-Hammer circuit breakers coded CL115 through to CL150, ITE Siemens circuit breakers coded Q115 through to Q150 and Square D circuit breakers coded HOM115 through to HOM150. These are single pole breakers. GE circuit breakers with catalog codes from THQL2115 through to THQL2150 can be substituted with Cutler-Hammer circuit breakers CL215 through to CL250, Square D circuit breakers HOM215 through to HOM250 and ITE Siemens circuit breakers Q215 through to Q250 of the same amperage and voltage. These are double pole breakers.
Is a circuit breaker an alternative fuses?
Circuit breakers do the same thing as fuses. They interrupt current flow when a certain preset point is reached. The difference between circuit breakers and fuses are that circuit breakers are resettable and reusable, whereas fuses are one time devices that must be replaced after they blow.
The purpose of the SEC's circuit breakers rule is to?
The purpose of the SEC's circuit breakers rule is to:
What breakers are compatible with ge breaker boxes?
GE circuit breakers with catalog numbers ranging from THQL1115 through to THQL1150 can be substituted like for like with Cutler-Hammer circuit breakers coded CL115 through to CL150, ITE Siemens circuit breakers coded Q115 through to Q150 and Square D circuit breakers coded HOM115 through to HOM150. These are single pole breakers. GE circuit breakers with catalog codes from THQL2115 through to THQL2150 can be substituted with Cutler-Hammer circuit breakers CL215 through to CL250, Square D circuit breakers HOM215 through to HOM250 and ITE Siemens circuit breakers Q215 through to Q250 of the same amperage and voltage. These are double pole breakers.
Is it true or false that a circuit breaker must be replaced after a short circuit occurs?
A circuit breaker must be reset to ON after a short circuit but does not need to be replaced. It depends on the type of CB. A fuse is also a circuit breaker and it needs to be replaced after a short circuit. Relayed circuit breakers have to be "picked up" after a dropout and need not be replaced as such.
What has replaced fuses in the main fuse box in a house?
Resettable circuit breakers.
Circuit breakers can be reset and used again?
Yes. In most cases, yes. If the circuit breaker continues to trip when there is no fault in the circuit, it may be failing and need to be replaced.
Will multiple tripping of a circuit breaker damage the circuit breaker?
You don't specify whether you mean low-voltage circuit breakers, such as MCBs (miniature circuit breakers) or high-voltage circuit breakers. In either case, repeated tripping under fault conditions causes arcing which damages the main contacts of the circuit breakers. For this reason, high-voltage circuit breakers are taken out of service after a specified number of tripping operations, so that the contacts can be maintained or, if necessary, replaced. MCB contacts are inaccessible, and the MCB may eventually require replacing.
When would you need to use westinghouse circuit breakers?
You need these types of circuit breakers when using 240 volt power rather than 120 volt. Large appliances such as a dryer require these larger circuit breakers. Other appliances such as stoves and some water heaters also require them.
What breaker boxes are compatible with GE circuit breakers?
GE circuit breakers with catalog numbers ranging from THQL1115 through to THQL1150 can be substituted like for like with Cutler-Hammer circuit breakers coded CL115 through to CL150, ITE Siemens circuit breakers coded Q115 through to Q150 and Square D circuit breakers coded HOM115 through to HOM150. These are single pole breakers. GE circuit breakers with catalog codes from THQL2115 through to THQL2150 can be substituted with Cutler-Hammer circuit breakers CL215 through to CL250, Square D circuit breakers HOM215 through to HOM250 and ITE Siemens circuit breakers Q215 through to Q250 of the same amperage and voltage. These are double pole breakers.
Is a circuit breaker an alternative fuses?
Circuit breakers do the same thing as fuses. They interrupt current flow when a certain preset point is reached. The difference between circuit breakers and fuses are that circuit breakers are resettable and reusable, whereas fuses are one time devices that must be replaced after they blow.
The purpose of the SEC's circuit breakers rule is to?
The purpose of the SEC's circuit breakers rule is to:
Can some body show me Electrical circuit diagram of Molded case circuit breakers?
Circuit breakers do not have circuit diagrams. The breakers have an input where the distribution voltage is applied and an output where the load is applied. If you want to know what is inside a breaker, the electrical terminology to use is "shop drawings" of the specific breaker that you need information on.
When were disposable fuses used in homes?
From the beginning of electricaly wired homes (aprx. 1880) until about the late 50's or early 60's. They were replaced with circuit breakers because circuit breakers will trip a lot faster when a short occurs and can be re-used as apposed to having to be thrown out and replaced after a short.
Where can Square D circuit breakers be purchased?
Square D circuit breakers can be purchased from various homeware and DIY stores such as Home Depot or Lowes. Websites that specialise in circuit breakers such as Circuit Breaker Service or All Breakers do sell them as well.
Where is circuit breaker 2003 Chevy s 10?
There are several circuit breakers in that vehicle, need to know which one you are looking for.
