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Why would a breaker trip after 30 sec with nothing plugged in to the circuit except the tv that is turned off?
Wiki User
∙ 12y ago
First unplug the TV. Some TVs may still draw current when off, but not enough to cause a breaker to trip. However you still want to make sure you don't fry your TV as you troubleshoot. If there is nothing plugged in to any outlet on the branch circuit and there are no light fixtures the problem is a bad breaker or in the wiring. The ideal is to have an electrician troubleshoot since you can kill yourself while messing with the breaker panel if you don't know what you are doing. Turn breaker off, make sure with a meter that the breaker is no longer hot and remove the wire by unscrewing the lug screw. Do the same for another breaker of the same rating. Hook the first wire removed to the second breaker. Turn on the second breaker. If it doesn't trip the problem is first breaker, and you need to replace it. If the second breaker trips it is the wiring. With the second wire and breaker restored to original connection, leave the first wire disconnected. Measure the resistance with a meter of the disconnected first wire to neutral which are where white wires are connected in panel. If you have everything unplugged there should be an open circuit. If not you need to start disconnecting wires in outlets and fixtures on the branch circuit and determine where the short is. Since breaker stays on for 30 seconds it is likely the breaker since a dead short would trip breaker immediately. The exception would be a short that is causing a current to flow that is very close to the rating of the breaker. If the breaker is good then I suspect you have something plugged in you don't know about.
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∙ 12y ago
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How do you de-energize a circuit?
To de-energize a circuit, the voltage has to be cut off at the source. This is usually done with a disconnect switch which is located just before the circuit's load. Turning off the breaker on a distribution panel will de-energize the circuit it is feeding. To make sure that the voltage can not be turned back on when work is being done on the circuit, the switch or breaker must have a lock off device to prevent the circuit from being turned on, except by the person that locked the circuit off.
Will cutler hammer breaker fit GE panel?
Cutler - Hammer manufactures two types of residential circuit breaker for the US. Type CH and type BR. The type BR will fit into most GE panels. It is probably a bad idea to use any other circuit breaker except the type listed on the label of the circuit breaker panel. GE panels require you to use GE circuit breakers. Using any other brand may put you at risk for liability if the installation fails and causes harm or damage.
What is a ark fault circuit breaker?
install breaker in panel and put the hot wire on the breaker and also there should be a place for the neutral on the breaker also both wires will be landed on the breaker in different spots and then take the white wire that is coiled on breaker and land it on the neutral bar
Why might an overloaded outlet cause a problem?
It's not the outlets themselves which are the problem, it's what might be plugged in to them. The more outlets, the more loads that can be added to the circuit. Having lots of outlets simply increases the opportunity to add loads, and ultimately, to overload the circuit. Overloads, as you may know, can result ultimately in fires with attendant loss of property or even lives. Of course, if only small loads are plugged in to the outlets, and/or if many of the outlets are unused, then there would be no problem -- except possibly for one: you need to make sure your installation is "up to code"; that is, it complies with the laws and regulations that apply to your electrical wiring. In the USA, a good place to start if you have questions about code requirements is http://www.nfpa.org/freecodes/free_access_agreement.asp?id=7008SB This site gives you free access to the 2008 National Electrical Code.
Can you conect your dryer to a heater circuit?
Not advisable. Both units consume huge amounts of Amps (amperes = current) and the normal 20 or 30 amp breaker may not sustain prolonged operation of both. Where I live, we have two electric meters ... one just for the water heater, the other for the house and all it's electrical needs (except for the water heater).
Will turning off the main breaker turn off all the power to the circuit breaker box?
No. Power to all the circuit breakers will be cut off except for the Main power breaker. The Main power breaker (which supplies power to all other breakers and will say 100, or whatever your max breaker box power is, on it )will have power going to it all the time, unless power is turned off outside the house.
What is a Class A circuit breaker?
A Class "A" Circuit breaker is a Ground Fault Interrupt (GFI or GFCI) breaker ."Class A" marking -- A "Class A" ground-fault device is intended to protect people. The Class A marking indicates that the trip threshold of the GFCI is between 4 mA and 6 mA. This marking may be in any location except the back.
How do you de-energize a circuit?
To de-energize a circuit, the voltage has to be cut off at the source. This is usually done with a disconnect switch which is located just before the circuit's load. Turning off the breaker on a distribution panel will de-energize the circuit it is feeding. To make sure that the voltage can not be turned back on when work is being done on the circuit, the switch or breaker must have a lock off device to prevent the circuit from being turned on, except by the person that locked the circuit off.
Will cutler hammer breaker fit GE panel?
Cutler - Hammer manufactures two types of residential circuit breaker for the US. Type CH and type BR. The type BR will fit into most GE panels. It is probably a bad idea to use any other circuit breaker except the type listed on the label of the circuit breaker panel. GE panels require you to use GE circuit breakers. Using any other brand may put you at risk for liability if the installation fails and causes harm or damage.
What is a ark fault circuit breaker?
install breaker in panel and put the hot wire on the breaker and also there should be a place for the neutral on the breaker also both wires will be landed on the breaker in different spots and then take the white wire that is coiled on breaker and land it on the neutral bar
What is an arc voltage in a circuit breaker?
ARC VOLTAGE is the voltage that appears across the contacts of circuit breaker during the arcing period, during which the current flow is maintained in the form of an arc. The arc voltage value is low except for the point at which the current reaches zero when the arc voltage rises rapidly to a peak value.
Why might an overloaded outlet cause a problem?
It's not the outlets themselves which are the problem, it's what might be plugged in to them. The more outlets, the more loads that can be added to the circuit. Having lots of outlets simply increases the opportunity to add loads, and ultimately, to overload the circuit. Overloads, as you may know, can result ultimately in fires with attendant loss of property or even lives. Of course, if only small loads are plugged in to the outlets, and/or if many of the outlets are unused, then there would be no problem -- except possibly for one: you need to make sure your installation is "up to code"; that is, it complies with the laws and regulations that apply to your electrical wiring. In the USA, a good place to start if you have questions about code requirements is http://www.nfpa.org/freecodes/free_access_agreement.asp?id=7008SB This site gives you free access to the 2008 National Electrical Code.
What would happen if one bulb burns out in a parallel circuit?
Nothing much will happen except the same bulb will not blow..
What happens if you throw a switched on hair drier into water?
There are a couple things that could happen, worst of all would be harming yourself. If the dryer was plugged into a working GCFI receptacle, then nothing should happen except the little red button on the GFI would trip. They are designed to trip faster than a heart beat. If the dryer is plugged into a regular plug circuit and if the breaker is working, then it will just trip as this will cause a "short" circuit. If the breaker is not working, then most likely there will be lots of sparks because it doesn't trip. Something should trip, even the 100 amp main should go. The only time you would be in trouble is if you are in between the circuit somehow. ie, you are holding onto the tap at the same time and there is copper Plumbing, or you are holding the dryer when you put it in. My recommendation, just don't do that.... Andy The above answer is not entirely accurate. If it is a properly functioning GFI circuit then yes the GFI should trip. The key feature of GFIs is that they detect the difference between the current being supplied and the current returning. If you drop a drier in a bathtub then at least some of the current will be grounded through the plumbing (and you along the way). So the GFI should trip and they trip quickly. However if it is a regular circuit breaker then you do *not* have any guarantee that it will protect you. The water *may* short the drier and cause a large enough current flow to trip the breaker. However it may not. It could have enough resistance to limit the current below 15A or whatever the circuit breaker trips at. In which case it won't trip at all. Regular circuit breakers are there to prevent short circuits from overloading the wiring which would burn your house down. They're *not* there to prevent you from being electrocuted. You, and even a bathtub of water, have resistance which depending on various factors may be enough to avoid overloading a regular circuit breaker.
What happens if you throw a switched-on hair drier into water?
There are a couple things that could happen, worst of all would be harming yourself. If the dryer was plugged into a working GCFI receptacle, then nothing should happen except the little red button on the GFI would trip. They are designed to trip faster than a heart beat. If the dryer is plugged into a regular plug circuit and if the breaker is working, then it will just trip as this will cause a "short" circuit. If the breaker is not working, then most likely there will be lots of sparks because it doesn't trip. Something should trip, even the 100 amp main should go. The only time you would be in trouble is if you are in between the circuit somehow. ie, you are holding onto the tap at the same time and there is copper plumbing, or you are holding the dryer when you put it in. My recommendation, just don't do that.... Andy The above answer is not entirely accurate. If it is a properly functioning GFI circuit then yes the GFI should trip. The key feature of GFIs is that they detect the difference between the current being supplied and the current returning. If you drop a drier in a bathtub then at least some of the current will be grounded through the plumbing (and you along the way). So the GFI should trip and they trip quickly. However if it is a regular circuit breaker then you do *not* have any guarantee that it will protect you. The water *may* short the drier and cause a large enough current flow to trip the breaker. However it may not. It could have enough resistance to limit the current below 15A or whatever the circuit breaker trips at. In which case it won't trip at all. Regular circuit breakers are there to prevent short circuits from overloading the wiring which would burn your house down. They're *not* there to prevent you from being electrocuted. You, and even a bathtub of water, have resistance which depending on various factors may be enough to avoid overloading a regular circuit breaker.
What is the common circuit for 1998 dodge neon door switch dome light chime and radio?
On my 97 neon the radio and interior lights are on a 10 amp circuit breaker located on the under hood fuse block. It is labeled "interior lights". I pull this breaker any time the car sits unused for two days or longer. If this is not done the battery will be drained. I do not have a light stuck on and have tried to locate the drain with no luck except that it is in this circuit.
How do you find the current rating of a circuit breaker?
A circuit breaker, like a switch, turns power on and off by moving one conductor to touch or not touch another conductor. The gap when not touching has to be large enough that electrons cannot pass through the air to the other conductor, producing a spark. The larger the voltage, the farther it can pass through the air, and the larger the gap must be. So the rated voltage of a circuit breaker or a fuse is the largest voltage it can safely control.
