Have you ever had a lighting circuit that constantly trips for no reason?
Or been left without electricity because your power circuit tripped and took out the whole house?
It’s annoying isn’t it! Here are tips from Kenner Electrics, your reliable Eastern Melbourne Electrician.
What a nuisance!
In electricians' words, we call this a 'nuisance tripping circuit'. To solve the tripping issue, the source of the fault will need to be found and fixed. But in some cases, this is easier said than done, and in the meantime, the tripped breaker is affecting the power in your entire house!
The problem of a circuit breaker keeps tripping can be made worse when there is only one safety switch protecting multiple circuits in the electrical system. This means that if a ground fault or a short circuit happens on any one of the electrical circuits, ALL of the circuits connected to that safety switch will turn off, tripping the circuit breaker.
Many older homes only have one safety switch that protects all the power circuits in the house. Our electricians in Melbourne are skilled at fault finding and have all the necessary know-how and test equipment to locate and repair problems within the electrical panel or even issues with the hot wire.
But there is also a way to prevent nuisance tripping of the whole house!
An electrician can install RCBOs on each circuit in your switchboard. RCBOs are a combination of a circuit breaker and a safety switch (so they do the job of both!)
This will make sure that only the affected circuit loses power when a problem is detected on that circuit rather than tripping all your power. So, for example, you might lose power in the bedrooms, but your kitchen power will still work.
This is a much better outcome than if ALL your power went off overnight, and it could save you hundreds of dollars on a costly overnight or weekend emergency service call if it allows you to wait until the next day.
Having an RCBO installed on each separate circuit also makes it easier to identify the location of faults when they occur. This is because only a single circuit will have tripped, so you can narrow down which outlet or appliance was plugged into that circuit and get it repaired or replaced.
Click here to learn more about combination circuit breaker safety switches in What’s keeping you safe? The importance of safety switches in your switchboard.
Added safety benefits
RCBOs also provide the latest in electrical safety for your home to keep you and your family safe. They offer the greatest level of protection against electric shocks and prevent an overloaded circuit. All new or modified residential circuits are required to have safety switch protection, including power, lighting, ovens, cooktops, A/C, and hot water units.
Existing electrical circuits can be upgraded by replacing existing circuit breakers with RCBOs to provide safety switch protection. This has the added benefit of giving you more room in your switchboard, helping to avoid costly upgrades. By doing so, you can prevent a circuit overload and reduce the risk of a circuit breaker tripping. If you're thinking of adding extra circuits, this approach ensures that a circuit breaker trips less frequently, maintaining a safer home environment.
Lights Out? Melbourne Electricians Fix Tripping Circuits
The skilled electricians at Kenner Electrics regularly inspect and upgrade switchboards to meet current Australian Electrical Standards. Give us a call today to fix your nuisance tripping circuits.
