How to Reset a Tripped Breaker

A tripped electrical breaker can be an annoying occurrence when you turn on appliances like microwaves or blow dryers. A tripped breaker suddenly brings your activities to a halt. Fortunately, it's easy to reset a tripped breaker. In most cases, it takes just a few minutes to do. As long as there are no ongoing causes, an intermittent circuit breaker trip can be fixed in just a few minutes.

What a Tripped Breaker Is

Having the circuit running smoothly, with no interruption, is always the best thing. But if a circuit breaker trips off, it actually means that your electrical system’s safety net is working properly.

When an excessive amount of energy or temperature flows into a circuit breaker, sensitive components in the breaker cause it to shut off. The switch interrupts the flow of electricity: It breaks the circuit. It takes just milliseconds for the internal spring-loaded mechanism of a circuit breaker to sense the event and to shut off.

By shutting off, the circuit breaker prevents devices on the circuit from overheating or from receiving excessive power. A circuit breaker protects your home against damaging or harmful short circuits and overloads.

3 Conditions That Trip Breakers

Overloaded Circuits

When too many devices are operating on the same circuit and are attempting to pull a higher power load than the circuit can carry, the circuit breaker will trip. This is particularly true when high amp devices like microwaves, dryers, wall heaters, or A/Cs are turned on for sustained periods. Devices that demand a short burst of energy can trip breakers, too: blenders, coffee grinders, and hair dryers.

Short Circuits

When a circuit is diverted from its intended pathway, it is called a short circuit. In a short circuit, a powered or hot wire makes contact with a neutral wire. Short circuits can happen when cables are pierced by nails or screws; when cable sheathing deteriorates; when water enters an electrical box; or when wires are loosened.

Ground Faults

Ground faults are a type of short circuit. In a ground fault, a hot wire touches anything that is grounded, such as the side of a metal electrical box, an appliance, an outlet, or a bare ground wire.

How to Locate a Tripped Breaker

If the service panel has an updated circuit directory, you can locate the tripped breaker by number. Circuit breaker directories are often found on the inside of the service panel door. Directories may not always be accurate, so use this as a tool to point you in the right general direction.

Run your hand down the centerline of the breakers, starting at the top. Gently grasp each pair of circuit breaker handles to verify that they are firmly pointing toward each other before moving down to the next row. When you reach a breaker that feels springy, that should be the tripped breaker.

Double pole breakers are double-wide breakers with wide handles. They are often used for dryer or oven circuits. Both sides of double pole breakers operate as one. Tandem breakers are two narrow breakers that share the space of one breaker. Each side operates individually.

How to Identify a Tripped Breaker

In the electric service panel, the handles of the breakers will be in the on, off, or tripped position.

Breaker Handle On

When the handle is firmly pointing toward the service panel’s centerline, it is on and allowing power to pass through the circuit.

Breaker Handle Off

When the handle is firmly pointing toward the outer edge of the service panel, it is off and no power should be passing to the circuit.

Breaker Handle Tripped

When the handle is at mid position, this means that the circuit breaker is tripped. No power should be flowing to the circuit. A mid-position tripped handle should also have a spongy or springy feel. Note that breakers from certain manufacturers such Cutler Hammer by Eaton trip to the fully off position, not the mid-position.

Safety Considerations

Working around an electrical service panel or circuit breaker board can be dangerous. Your home’s entire electrical load is contained in that box, concentrated around the metal lugs where the service drop’s wires enter the box. Unscrewing and removing the inner dead-front cover within the service panel exposes the highly powered lugs.