Circuit Breaker Keeps Tripping: Causes, Fixes, and When to Call an Electrician

Why Does a Circuit Breaker Keep Tripping?

A circuit breaker that keeps tripping is a safety device doing its job by shutting off power to prevent overheating, electrical fires, or equipment damage on that circuit. The breaker trips when it detects more current flowing through the wire than the circuit is rated to handle, a short circuit that creates a sudden surge of current, or a ground fault where current escapes the intended path. Repeated tripping is not a nuisance to work around; it is your electrical system telling you something is wrong that needs to be diagnosed and repaired.

Most common cause: An overloaded circuit, which happens when too many devices draw more amps than the breaker’s rated capacity. A standard 15-amp residential circuit can safely handle about 1,440 watts. Plugging a space heater (1,500 watts) into a circuit already running a computer and a lamp will trip the breaker.

Most dangerous cause: A short circuit, where a hot wire touches a neutral or ground wire and creates a massive current spike. Short circuits produce heat and sparking that can start fires inside walls. If your breaker trips immediately every time you reset it, a short circuit is the most likely cause.

When to call an electrician: If the breaker trips repeatedly after you have unplugged all devices on that circuit, if you notice a burning smell near the panel, or if the breaker itself is hot to the touch, call a licensed electrician before resetting it again. These are signs of a wiring fault that cannot be solved by redistributing loads.

6 Reasons Your Circuit Breaker Keeps Tripping

In our experience servicing roughly 3,000 homes per year across Central Florida, circuit breaker tripping is one of the five most common service calls we receive. Here are the six causes we diagnose most frequently, ordered from most common to most serious:

1. Overloaded circuit. The combined wattage of devices plugged into one circuit exceeds the breaker’s amp rating. This is the cause in approximately 70% of tripping calls we respond to. The fix is usually redistributing devices to other circuits or adding a dedicated circuit for the high-draw appliance.
2. Short circuit. A hot wire makes contact with a neutral wire, creating a low-resistance path that draws massive current. Short circuits can occur inside walls, within appliance cords, or at damaged outlets. The breaker trips instantly (not after a delay), and you may see sparking or discoloration at the outlet.
3. Ground fault. Current leaks from the hot wire to the ground wire or a grounded surface (metal box, water pipe). Ground faults are most common in kitchens, bathrooms, garages, and outdoor areas where moisture is present. GFCI outlets and breakers are designed specifically to detect ground faults.
4. Arc fault. Damaged or deteriorating wiring creates intermittent electrical arcs that generate heat. Arc faults are a leading cause of residential electrical fires according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). AFCI breakers, required by the 2020 NEC and the Florida Building Code in most living areas, detect these arcs and trip to prevent fires.
5. Faulty breaker. Circuit breakers wear out over time. A breaker that trips under normal loads or fails to reset may have a weakened internal mechanism. Breakers manufactured before 2000, especially certain Federal Pacific and Zinsco models, have documented failure rates and should be evaluated by a licensed electrician.
6. Defective appliance. A single appliance with an internal wiring fault can cause repeated tripping every time it is plugged in. If the breaker only trips when a specific device is connected, the appliance itself is the likely source.

If you are also experiencing issues with outlets that have stopped working, the root cause may be related. Read our guide on why your outdoor outlet is not working to understand how GFCI resets and tripped breakers interact.

How to Diagnose Which Circuit Is the Problem

Before calling an electrician, you can narrow down the issue by following a systematic process. This saves time during the service call and may reveal a simple overload you can resolve yourself.

1. Identify the tripped breaker. Open your electrical panel and look for the breaker that has moved to the middle position (between ON and OFF) or to the OFF position. Some breakers have a red or orange indicator window that shows when they have tripped.
2. Turn off everything on that circuit. Unplug or switch off every device, light, and appliance connected to the tripped circuit. If you are unsure which outlets are on that circuit, turn off the breaker and test each outlet with a phone charger or lamp.
3. Reset the breaker. Push the breaker handle firmly to OFF first, then switch it back to ON. If the breaker holds, the problem is load-related. If it trips immediately, the issue is a short circuit or ground fault in the wiring.
4. Reconnect devices one at a time. Plug devices back in one by one, waiting 30 seconds between each. When the breaker trips again, the last device you connected is either the cause or the tipping point.
5. Check for patterns. Note whether the breaker trips at a specific time of day, when a particular appliance cycles on (AC compressor, refrigerator, washing machine), or only during certain weather conditions (rain can cause ground faults in outdoor circuits).

The most common pattern we see on service calls is a breaker that trips when the homeowner uses a high-draw appliance (hair dryer, space heater, window AC unit) on a circuit that is already handling several smaller loads. That is a straightforward overload, and the solution is a dedicated circuit for the appliance.

Can You Fix a Tripping Breaker Yourself?

Some causes of circuit breaker tripping are safe for a homeowner to address. Others require a licensed electrician and may involve a permit under the Florida Building Code.

Cause	DIY Safe?	What to Do
Overloaded circuit	Yes	Redistribute devices across circuits; unplug high-draw appliances
Defective appliance	Yes	Isolate and replace the faulty device
Tripped GFCI	Yes	Press the RESET button on the GFCI outlet or breaker
Short circuit in wiring	No	Call a licensed electrician; do not reset repeatedly
Ground fault in wiring	No	Call a licensed electrician; check for moisture intrusion
Faulty or worn breaker	No	Call a licensed electrician for breaker replacement
Arc fault	No	Call a licensed electrician; possible fire hazard

One thing we always tell homeowners: never replace a breaker with a higher-amp breaker as a “fix” for tripping. A 15-amp breaker on 14-gauge wire is sized to protect that wire. Installing a 20-amp breaker on the same circuit allows more current than the wire can safely carry, creating a fire hazard that the breaker will no longer catch. This is a code violation under NEC Article 240.4 and one of the most dangerous DIY mistakes we encounter.

When to Call a Licensed Electrician

One question we hear constantly from homeowners is whether a tripping breaker is urgent enough to warrant a service call. Here are the situations where you should call a licensed electrician rather than continuing to troubleshoot:

1. The breaker trips immediately every time you reset it, even with nothing plugged in on that circuit.
2. You smell burning, see scorch marks, or notice discoloration around the electrical panel or any outlet.
3. The breaker or the panel cover is warm or hot to the touch.
4. The breaker will not stay in the ON position or feels loose when you switch it.
5. Multiple breakers are tripping at the same time or in sequence.
6. Your home has a Federal Pacific, Zinsco, or Pushmatic panel, which have documented safety issues.
7. The circuit breaker panel was installed more than 25 years ago and has not been inspected.

Super Fast Electric provides residential electrical services across 20 Central Florida cities, with emergency response typically within a few hours during business hours. Our Master Electrician-led team has completed approximately 30,000 service calls since 2017, and breaker panel issues are among the most frequent calls we take.

What Does It Cost to Fix a Tripping Breaker?

The cost to fix a tripping circuit breaker depends on the underlying cause. Here are the typical price ranges homeowners can expect in the Central Florida market:

Repair Type	Typical Cost Range	What Is Involved
Single breaker replacement	$150 to $300	Remove old breaker, install new matching breaker, test circuit
Dedicated circuit installation	$250 to $500	Run new wire from panel to outlet, install new breaker
Short circuit diagnosis and repair	$200 to $500	Locate the fault, repair or replace damaged wiring
GFCI outlet or breaker install	$150 to $250	Replace standard outlet/breaker with GFCI protection
Full panel upgrade (100A to 200A)	$2,000 to $4,000	Replace entire panel, new breakers, permit and inspection

These ranges reflect Central Florida pricing as of 2026. Actual cost depends on the complexity of the repair, accessibility of the wiring, and whether a permit is required. At Super Fast Electric, we provide transparent pricing with no hidden fees, and our starting price for a diagnostic visit is $197.

Common Mistakes That Make Tripping Worse

After servicing approximately 30,000 homes since 2017, we have seen the same mistakes repeated by well-intentioned homeowners trying to solve a tripping breaker on their own:

1. Repeatedly resetting a breaker that trips immediately. Each reset sends a surge of fault current through the wiring. If the cause is a short circuit, repeated resets increase the risk of heat buildup and fire.
2. Replacing a breaker with a higher-amp rating. This is a code violation and a serious fire hazard. The breaker must match the wire gauge: 15 amps for 14-gauge wire, 20 amps for 12-gauge wire.
3. Using extension cords as permanent wiring. Extension cords are not rated for continuous use. Plugging a space heater into a power strip daisy-chained to an extension cord is a common cause of overloads and fires.
4. Ignoring a burning smell at the panel. A burning smell near your breaker panel means something is overheating. This is an emergency that requires immediate attention from a licensed electrician.
5. Taping a breaker in the ON position. This defeats the breaker’s safety function entirely. If the circuit has a fault, taping the breaker on allows unprotected current flow that can start a fire.
6. Delaying panel inspection on older homes. Homes built before 2000, particularly those with Federal Pacific Stab-Lok panels, have a documented higher rate of breaker failure. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has investigated these panels for fire risk.

Frequently Asked Questions