Hey everyone! My wife and I have recently purchased a house, and we've noticed that the circuit breakers trip quite often. This happens particularly in the kitchen when we're using our electric tea kettle and also in the laundry room when both the dryer and washing machine are running simultaneously. Just today, it tripped in our movie room while we had the TV on and a treadmill plugged in. I'm wondering if this indicates bad wiring or if it could stem from something else. Is there anything we can check ourselves? The house was built in 2018 and the previous owner was the general contractor.
3 Answers
It sounds like you may be overloading some of your circuits, especially if multiple high-draw appliances are on at the same time. Check what outlets are linked to each breaker and their ratings. For instance, a standard 15 amp circuit can handle up to 1800 watts, so if your kettle draws 1500 watts and the treadmill is also using a lot, it could easily trip. You might want to consider splitting the load by adding a dedicated circuit for high-use appliances like kitchen devices and the treadmill.
If you're comfortable checking your breaker panel, you can use an amp meter to see how much load each breaker is taking. It sounds like you might have appliances that shouldn't be on the same circuit. Also, many people overlook dedicating circuits for things like fridges and treadmills, which can really spike in power usage. Getting a professional in for a full check on your system would be the safest bet.
Having an electrician take a look is definitely a good idea. There could be several reasons for the tripping—like loose connections or, in some cases, faulty breakers. Some specific breaker types have known issues from certain timeframes, like Eaton AFCIs. If yours are from this line, they might need replacing, and Eaton has warranty replacements available. Meanwhile, using a receptacle tester can help you identify any issues in your outlets.