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What causes a breaker to trip when nothing is running on the breaker?
Wiki User
∙ 12y ago
If you unplugged the breaker and put it on the table and it tripped then it would be related to the internal mechanics of the breaker being under some tension causing it to trip. This is just to illustrate what it means to be really disconnected. What is likely is that somewhere in the circuit the Hot wire is shorted to neutral or ground. If you know where all the outlets are on the circuit you can disconnect them one at a time and see when the problem goes away. This can be dangerous if you don't know what you are doing. An electrician would have a meter and signal tracer that could find the problem much quicker and safer.
One way an electrican might troubleshoot would be to remove the black wire from the breaker in panel and test resistance with a Volt=Ohm-Meter (VOM) to verify there is a short, and then trace the circuit through each outlet to find the short. The short could be internal to an outlet or switch, a short to a metal box, a screw or nail in the wire hidden in the wall, or any number of other reasons.
Wiki User
∙ 12y ago
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I have a 15 amp tool hooked up to a 15 amp breaker- This trips the breaker even with nothing else running- There is also a GFCI outlet on the same circuit- Is the breaker or GFCI bad?
A 15 amp breaker will trip at 15 amps at an ambient temperature of 104 degree F. If the ambient temperature is higher the breaker will trip before 15 amps and if the ambient temperature is lower the breaker will trip after 15 amps. I would suspect the circuit is overloaded. But, you can change the breaker and see what happens. Just swap it with another one.
If a shunt trip occurs does breaker go to off or trip position?
the breaker goes to trip position
What causes the breaker to trip on a central vac unit?
Maybe you have other electrical drains on that breaker line that cause it to exceed the 15 or 20 amp limit. Fix it.
Why does your drill press trip the GFCI after running for a few seconds?
either you have a bad breaker, already have too many things running on that circuit or the drill is not properly grounded
How does a breaker form?
how does a breaker form? breakers form as waves pass over shallow areas, such as near the shore. Friction with the bottom causes the wave to slow and go higher. The unstable wave that falls over is called a breaker.
High voltage will trip a circuit breaker?
A higher voltage means that a higher current will flow in the same load. It is the current that causes the breaker to trip.
I have a 15 amp tool hooked up to a 15 amp breaker- This trips the breaker even with nothing else running- There is also a GFCI outlet on the same circuit- Is the breaker or GFCI bad?
A 15 amp breaker will trip at 15 amps at an ambient temperature of 104 degree F. If the ambient temperature is higher the breaker will trip before 15 amps and if the ambient temperature is lower the breaker will trip after 15 amps. I would suspect the circuit is overloaded. But, you can change the breaker and see what happens. Just swap it with another one.
If a shunt trip occurs does breaker go to off or trip position?
the breaker goes to trip position
What causes the breaker to trip on a central vac unit?
Maybe you have other electrical drains on that breaker line that cause it to exceed the 15 or 20 amp limit. Fix it.
Why does your drill press trip the GFCI after running for a few seconds?
either you have a bad breaker, already have too many things running on that circuit or the drill is not properly grounded
How does a breaker form?
how does a breaker form? breakers form as waves pass over shallow areas, such as near the shore. Friction with the bottom causes the wave to slow and go higher. The unstable wave that falls over is called a breaker.
Can a shunt trip breaker be tripped from to different emergency buttons?
Yes a shunt trip breaker can be activated manually.
How do you detect if a shunt trip breaker is malfunctioning?
The way to detect if a shunt trip breaker is malfunctioning is to manually trip the breaker. The shunt is usually wired through a auxiliary relay. Make sure that before you trip the breaker that the load can be shut off without taking a production line etc. off line. Trip the auxiliary relay using a test jumper to activate the relays coil. The breaker's handle will move to mid throw and the load will disconnect from the supply power. If the breaker trips then it is working properly. If the breaker does not trip trouble shoot the circuitry that is used to trip the breaker. Usual problem is an open circuit.
What causes the main breaker to trip from a fault current from a twenty amp branch circuit?
If the fault was on the 20 amp branch circuit, the branch circuit breaker should have tripped, not the main breaker. Call a qualified electrician to check out your wiring.
How much does a shunt trip breaker cost?
The cost of a shunt trip breaker depends on the amperage and number of poles the circuit connected to it needs. The cost of the shunt trip over a conventional breaker is substantially more.
What causes circuit breaker to trip even when it's properly rated?
A circuit breaker is dual function. The only time it will trip is if it senses a fault current that is rated higher than the breaker rating (short circuit). The other trip condition is if the circuit is overloaded and is drawing a current higher than the breaker rating. On breakers that protect motor feeders the breaker has to be rated 250% higher than the motors full load amperage. If the breaker has lots of use and is used for a switch being manually turned off and on will weaken the trip value of the breaker. If you have access to, or know an electrician, a clamp on amp meter on the conductor that the breaker feeds will tell you what is happening. Clamp the line and turn on the load to see exactly what the current is. If, like you say, the breaker is properly rated and the current is within the breaker limits then change out the breaker for a new one.
What are the breaker ampere trip ratings?
The ampere frame rating for a circuit breaker designates how the circuit breaker should be configured. It also states the trip unit of the amp.
