6 Steps To Follow For A Tripped Breaker

Ever had a tripped breaker in your home, had the lights go out in a room or two, and then gone to the electrical panel feeling a little unsure of what you were actually looking at?

We get calls like this all the time. A tripped breaker doesn’t necessarily mean there is an emergency but it does mean something is wrong. For your safety we recommend for you to follow these six troubleshooting steps from our Atlanta circuit breaker repair experts.

1.Investigate: Do you hear, see or smell that something is burning inside of your panel?

In this case, we highly recommend that you call an electrician right away as an electrical fire could jeopardize your personal safety, your whole home’s wiring system and your appliances.

If you don’t see, hear or smell anything that seems off base - The breaker has done its job. It is designed to “trip” or stop the flow of electricity if it recognizes that the breaker is pulling too many amps.

2. Unplug any devices!

If you have devices such as a laptop, computer, hair dryer, anything that was plugged in on the circuit that lost power, go through and unplug all of them.

3. Reset the breaker back to “On”

Once your devices are unplugged, go to your panel and identify the breaker that has tripped. It will be in the “tripped” position which means right in the middle of “off” and “on”.

So all you need to do for your third step, is reset it – all breakers are designed that you have to click it to the “off” position first and then you can click it back “on” – your power should now be restored that circuit.

**Our technicians always recommend standing to the side while you reset it for your safety.**

4. Did the breaker automatically trip again?

Do not try to reset the breaker again, leave it as is and give us a call at Pat Murphy Electric. The other option is that the breaker holds once you reset it….

5. Did the breaker hold? Now try plugging back in each device one by one.

If the breaker holds, now you can move on to your next step. Try plugging back in the devices that you unplugged one by one and make sure to check the breaker in between each device to ensure it hasn’t tripped!

6. If the breaker trips again, Call Us!

If the breaker trips again, after you plug in your devices carefully – we recommend you call us!

Electricity is no joke and our Atlanta circuit breaker repair team recommends that you call us in this event because our technicians are highly trained. Calling on us to diagnose a tripped circuit breaker could save you hours of trouble and lots of money.

A breaker can trip for many reasons: You could have too many devices pulling power on your circuit, a voltage leak somewhere in your wiring or the breaker could just be bad and need to be replaced.

In any event, it’s always best to leave it to a professional. We never want our customers risking their safety by tampering in a panel without the proper protective equipment.

Give our Atlanta circuit breaker repair professionals a call if you’re experiencing any trouble @ 404-577-4191.

Remember, keep calm and call Pat Murphy Electric, Inc. This is why we offer 24/7 services – to be there whenever you need us to get the job done the right way – the only way.