What to do when a breaker keeps tripping
Reset it once, properly: push the handle fully to OFF first, then back to ON. If it holds, unplug everything on that circuit and add loads back one at a time to find the culprit. If it trips again immediately with nothing plugged in, stop — that is a fault in the wiring and it is the one scenario here where you should not keep trying.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time
- 15–30 minutes
- Parts cost
- $0
- Trade
- Electrical
What you need
- Flashlight
- A list of what is on the circuit
Step by step
- 01
Reset it the right way
A tripped breaker sits between ON and OFF, and pushing it toward ON from there does nothing. Push the handle firmly all the way to OFF until it clicks, then back to ON.
- 02
If it holds, find the load
Unplug everything on that circuit. Reset. Then plug things back in one at a time, waiting a minute between each. The item that trips it is either faulty or that circuit is simply carrying too much.
- 03
Think about what changed
Space heaters, window units, hair dryers and shop tools are the usual suspects. Two of them on one fifteen-amp circuit will trip it every time, and that is the breaker doing exactly its job.
- 04
Check for a GFCI further upstream
If outlets are dead but no breaker looks tripped, look for a GFCI outlet with a popped RESET button — often in a bathroom, garage or outside — that is protecting the whole run.
Stop and call somebody if…
- It trips immediately with nothing plugged in
- The breaker, panel or an outlet is warm, discoloured, buzzing or smells of burning
- You see scorch marks anywhere
- The panel is a Federal Pacific or Zinsco — these are known fire risks and many insurers will not cover a home that still has one
- Lights across the house dim or brighten together
- You are being asked to replace the breaker with a larger one — that removes the protection instead of fixing the fault
A breaker that trips is a breaker that is working. The dangerous situation is the one where somebody makes the tripping stop without fixing what caused it.
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