How Can You Tell if Your Circuit Breaker is Faulty or Broken?

circuit breaker on off

How Can You Tell if Your Circuit Breaker is Faulty or Broken?

Residential homes have electrical circuit breakers that are in charge of managing the current flows in the house. You can identify your circuit breaker as the device that you use when it trips, and you have to flip it, in order to get the electricity back on in your home. The reason this happens is because the circuit breaker acts as a safety monitor. If it senses too many currents running at once it will automatically trip. Now while this occurrence may only happen very seldom, it is important to check your circuit breaker to ensure it is working correctly.  It is recommended you check your circuit breaker every three months.

How can you identify a faulty circuit breaker?

The first step to identify if your circuit breaker has gone bad involves checking the breaker panel. This part is easy if your circuit breaker just tripped and it was flipped off, all you have to do is turn it back on. If your electricity immediately turns back on, then your system is working fine. Now if that does not work, you may have to test a few more things to identify the problem.  The second step is to test for a short circuit. This step involves turning the circuit breaker completely off then turning it completely on. If the switch does not stay on or there is a humming sound, take out the wire from the circuit and do it again. If this solves the problem, then you may be experiencing wiring issues with your circuit breaker. if it still does not work, it may require a voltmeter.

A voltmeter is a tool used by electricians to test electrical potential between two points. The key here is to test the electrical breaker for voltage. if the breaker works fine, then the issue would be with the panel.

The most efficient way to check a defective circuit breaker is to move the wire to an active breaker if it works then you have solved the puzzle and can confirm you have a faulty circuit breaker.

Contact Cardoso Electrical Services in Wakefield

When dealing with Electrical Systems it is best to contact a professional to help you install and inspect your electrical system. If this is the case in your home, please visit Cardoso Electrical or call us at  781-246-7700 to speak to one of our specialists. Our team provides a variety of electrical services throughout Greater Boston including maintenance, inspections, new installations, and upgrades. We would be happy to perform an inspection for your home. Contact us today to set up an inspection.

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