Why circuit breaker wont reset

This prevents additional damage from happening. For example, most outlets and fixtures in a home are rated as either 15 amp or 20 amp. Here are common reasons a breaker might trip:. Once the circuit breaker trips, the circuit is broken. It must be manually reset to allow current to flow again. You might have experienced something like this:. You think that the circuit breaker has tripped, so you head to the electrical panel to reset the breaker.

You push the tripped switch into the Off position, then back up into the On position to reset it. Or it resets but trips again immediately. Be sure to click the tripped breaker switch into the Off position firmly.

From the tripped position, the switch has to move into the Off position before it can be reset by switching it into the On position. What you can do: Push the tripped switch back toward the Off position until you hear a click. Push it forward to the On position. Many times, the switches on circuit breakers will be labeled incorrectly or not at all.

Remember to pull the switch back toward Off until you hear a click, then forward to On. Circuits get overloaded when the electrical load is too high. Usually, this is due to too many devices or appliances being plugged in and using power.

It could also be due to a faulty appliance that is drawing more power than it should. When a circuit trips, the first assumption is that it happened because of an overload on the circuit.

Check what part of the house the tripped breaker is for and see what appliances are plugged into it. One of them may be faulty and caused the overload. Unplug the items, then reset the breaker. Plug in the items again and turn them to see if one is creating the overload.

One of the fastest ways to trip a circuit breaker is an electrical short along the circuit, such as arcing occurring in an outlet. This is again the breaker doing its job. A loose switch will indicate which breaker tripped. Normally, the circuit can be reset by clicking it completely into the off position and then switching it to the on position. The problem could be serious and require electrical repair. Otherwise, it will just stay tripped. The next step if the breaker continues to trip even when no appliances or devices are plugged in is to test the breaker itself.

You can do so by connecting the red lead on a multimeter to the breaker and the black lead to the neutral bar. For a more in-depth guide on checking the breaker itself, have a look at how to check a circuit breaker properly.

Taking the time to really investigate why your circuit breakers tripped in the first place is key to resetting the breakers properly. Product successfully added to your Shopping Cart. Crouse-Hinds Cooper. Eaton Cutler Hammer. Federal Pacific. Square D. Thomas Betts. Allen Bradley.