Appliances That Can Trip Your Circuit Breaker

It is already common knowledge that if not properly managed by professionals, electricity is very dangerous as it can cause many accidents. Some of these include electrical fire, electrical shock, etc. Some of these accidents can cause great harm to an individual. For example, an individual could suffer severe burns, shock, and in the worst-case scenario, death! The danger that comes with having a faulty electrical system unchecked is enough reason why it should only be managed/attended by professionals.

But then again, not every problem you encounter regarding your house’s electrical system should warrant that you call a professional. Don’t get us wrong, in no way are we asking you to repair things you have little or no knowledge about; we are simply saying here that there are some minor issues that you can fix on your own without putting yourself at risk. For example, if your circuit breaker trips constantly, through the use of an observation method, you can fix this without needing any help from a professional electrician.

In all our years of experience, we have noticed that many home electrical circuits often trip because of certain appliances. And that is what we are going to discuss in this section. However, before we proceed, kindly note this: Your circuit breaker may trip because of some other factors. It doesn’t have to be caused by the appliances we are about to list here.

6 Appliances That Can Trip Your Circuit Breaker

Before we list them, you need to understand what a circuit breaker is and what it does.

A circuit breaker – manual or automatic – is an electrical safety device placed in the house to cut out/off electrical current in the event of an overcurrent or short circuit. The role of a circuit breaker is simple and yet extremely important. The role of a circuit breaker is to break the circuit in the event of an electrical short, a fault, or an excessive energy draw so that the system doesn’t cause a fire or any other electrical accidents. Two factors can cause a circuit breaker to trip. They include an overload or a short circuit.

Now, let’s go back to our list.

·       Hair Dryers

The importance of having a hair dryer in the house can never be overstated. Why? Because people generally do not have time to dry their hair naturally again. I mean, you need to go to work or do other important things. The last thing you want is to get delayed by your wet hair, hence the importance of having a hair dryer. However, as good as this sounds, hair dryer poses some danger. We have observed that hair dryers often cause the electrical circuit to trip. Why? From our investigation, hairdryers are equipped with 800 to 2000 watts of power because they need to produce high heat before they can be effective. Hence, they draw massive power every time you plug them in.

Therefore, due to this amount of electricity that they consume, there is a high chance that your circuit breaker will be the one to suffer from it. The same can also be said about flat irons and curling irons.

·       Irons

Almost everyone uses iron. As long as you wear clothes and you wash them, there is a high possibility that you will need an iron to smooth your wrinkled clothes. However, as much as iron is one of the favorite tools to use in the house, it also has some downsides. One downside is its ability to trip your circuit after prolonged use. This happens because standard irons usually have a power rating that ranges from 800 watts to 300 watts (much like the hair dryer). Hence, when you plug the iron into the power socket, it will draw a lot of electricity, causing a power outage in the process. One of the best ways to stop this is by plugging your iron is electrical sockets that can handle the power of that iron. For example, wall sockets in the kitchen and bathroom are usually more effective than others.

·       Vacuum Cleaners

Vacuum cleaners are another important tool that can cause your circuit breaker to trip. Like the ones we mentioned, standard vacuum cleaners usually have a power rating of 1000 watts and above. And since you don’t use the vacuum cleaner every single time, the best way to ensure that your vacuum cleaner doesn’t wear your circuit breaker down is by plugging it in after you have unplugged other running appliances such as your refrigerator, oven, television, air-conditioning, etc. This ensures that you don’t overload the circuit by having multiple power-sucking appliances running simultaneously.

·       Microwaves

The role of a microwave is to produce a high amount of heat to warm up your food. And this equipment is by a long distance one of the most important in the kitchen. But while that is fairly obvious, they can also pose a great threat to your circuit because they are too powerful, and thus, they draw a great amount of power. A standard microwave is packed with 1000 to 3000 watts.

·       Washing Machines

A washing machine is another essential appliance in our homes. They are used to wash, dry, and squeeze clothes. Although their importance in the household can’t be questioned, they also consume much power. And if you have noticed anything from our list, appliances that consume much power often trip the circuit breaker.

Conclusion

In this article, we have listed only 6 appliances that can cause your circuit to trip. But you should remember that these are by no means the only appliances that can cause circuits to trip. Therefore if you notice that you still experience constant power trips, you should call a professional electrician to come and perform a thorough investigation.