Winter and summer are peak electricity seasons in Colorado. Between heating and cooling your home, plus using ceiling fans, space heaters, and portable fans along with your electronics, you put your electrical system to work. Until it suddenly stops working.
It’s probably the circuit breaker.
Read on to learn more about circuit breakers, including why they trip, what to do when they trip and more! If you have any questions or need help with your circuit breaker, reach out to the expert Denver electricians at Bell Plumbing, Heating, Cooling and Electrical today!
A circuit breaker is a built-in safety device that cuts power to your appliances when there’s too much current flowing through them. Without the help of a circuit breaker, wiring issues or other failures can easily cause problems. We’re talking about fire-level problems.
In older homes, you “blow a fuse.” In newer homes, you “trip the breaker.” If the circuit breaker is “tripped” by a fault somewhere in your home, you can flip a switch to reset it, with no replacement required (usually).
Circuit breakers are generally inconspicuous and located in your garage, basement, or attached to exterior siding. Typically, they’re built into the wall and covered with a metal panel you open to reveal the many switches and levers inside. Breakers on the inside are usually installed close to the electric meters on the outside. Depending on the size and types of appliances in your home, you may have multiple panels.
Circuit breakers “trip” or switch to the OFF position when there’s too much electrical current for your home and appliances to safely handle.
Breakers usually trip for a couple of reasons:
If it doesn’t seem to be either of those options, it’s probably a ground fault, which is best handled by a Denver electrician.
It’s pretty easy and perfectly safe to reset a breaker on your own:
Is this like the hundredth time you’ve tripped your breaker?
Okay, maybe not the hundredth… but do you seem to be going to the breaker panel a lot? If so, it’s time to have an electrician take a look. While resetting switches is easy, there may be an underlying issue that puts your home and your family at risk.
Don’t wait until the hundredth trip to the breaker box. As your trusted Denver electrician, we’re happy to help. Give us a call today!
We’re ready to answer your questions or schedule your appointment, call now or book online!