How To Avoid A Circuit Breaker Tripping

Fewer Working Appliances

Having multiple appliances operate at once can easily draw out too much electrical power. Especially for older electrical systems, this usage of multiple appliances can cause the electrical circuit to trip. This is also called electrical overloading and can easily create tripped circuits and potentially dangerous situations occur. 

To resolve this try to run only a few appliances at the same time that are connected to the one circuit. Unplugging them from the power point or turning them off will help prevent the electrical circuit from being overloaded with too much electrical power. 

Relocate Certain Appliances 

Similar to not having multiple appliances run at the same time and potentially cause electrical overloading, relocating certain appliances can be helpful. This technique is also beneficial when specific items cannot be switched off and need to constantly run. If there is only one circuit present for one part of the house, such as the kitchen, then installing more circuits is highly advised. 

Perform an Electrical Safety Inspection

An electrical safety inspection will have a licensed electrician inspect each electrical system, including cabling and networking. Every appliance and circuit will be looked over as well where the electrician can detect potential faults early. Searching for signs of a tripped circuit will also be looked over to ensure the problem can be found before the circuit trips. 

To know more about the different types of electrical testing our blog provides more details and examples. 

Avoid Extension Cords and Double Adapters

Extension cords and double adapters may appear to be helpful especially when the number of outlets is minimal. They are dangerous and unreliable to use though as connecting more appliances to them only adds more stress on the electrical circuit. More power will be consumed and needed and the circuit can overwork and trip. The extension cords and double adapters themselves are also not protected and can easily spark, burn and cause an overloaded circuit. 

Replace Old Electrical Systems

Older electrical systems, such as VIR cables, should be replaced with current cabling networks. Older circuits and wires are most likely not able to handle the electrical demand of today and can easily break. They are also prone to not handle the amount of electrical power being drawn out and could cause a short circuit. Older wires are also likely to become hotter easily and when hot wires touch they can spark, melt and break. 

Electrical Protective Devices

Electrical protective devices are designed to protect people, appliances and circuits from electrical spikes, trips and overloads. The electrical overload can easily cause electrical shock, damage that applies to melting wires. Grounding fault circuit interrupters, or earthing systems, safety switches and RCD switches are some of the ways to protect from electrical spikes. 

Upgrade the Switchboard

A switchboard upgrade is a great way to prevent constant circuit breaker tripping issues. As the electrical switchboard manages where the electricity goes to each circuit it is important that a working one is installed. Upgrading the current one will help remove the issue of circuit breakers keep tripping while being overall more effective. A Level 2 Electrician will carry out the switchboard upgrade and ensure that each circuit is correctly connected. 

To know what to do when a circuit breaker trips we strongly recommend reading our blog article that provides safe and effective methods for this situation. 

The most common causes for circuit breaker tripping problems are:

• Electrical overload – when there is a large demand for electricity within one circuit the circuit may not handle this. 
• Short circuits – these are more dangerous and happen when hot wires touch the neutral wire and create currents that flow through the circuit in places they should not go. Loose connection and also damaged wires are other ways short circuits can occur.
• Ground fault – when a grounding wire makes contact with a hot wire then this can cause a ground fault.