Circuit Breaker Keeps Tripping? Causes, How to Reset It Safely, and When to Call an Electrician

A breaker that trips is doing its job: a circuit drew more current than its wiring should carry, or the breaker sensed a short, a ground fault, or an arc. The CPSC's advice since 1983: find out why it tripped instead of simply resetting it. Usually the answer is ordinary, like a space heater and a hair dryer on one circuit. Sometimes it is a warning about the wiring.

Below: how to reset a breaker safely, the causes in the order to check them, and where the electrician takes over. You reset breakers and move plugs; everything behind the panel cover is a licensed electrician's, the same red line as our DIY vs. hire-a-pro guide.

How to Reset a Breaker Safely

1. Turn off or unplug what's on the circuit, especially heaters, hair dryers, and anything with a motor. The ESFi says to bring the demand down before resetting.
2. Dry hands, dry floor. Never touch a breaker with wet hands or while standing on a wet surface. If the floor in front of the panel is wet, stop.
3. Find the tripped breaker. Open the panel's hinged door only; never remove the screwed-on cover behind it. A tripped handle sits in the middle, between ON and OFF, or at OFF, and the ESFi notes it can rest close to ON, so look carefully. Some, like Square D's QO breakers, also show a red flag in a small window.
4. Push it firmly all the way to OFF, then all the way back to ON. That is the reset Square D and the ESFi describe.
5. If it trips again right away, stop. With everything unplugged, an instant repeat trip points to a short or ground fault in the wiring, or a failed breaker. Leave it OFF and call an electrician.
6. If it holds, add things back one at a time, moving the big ones to other circuits. If it trips when one appliance goes on, leave that appliance unplugged and have it repaired or replaced, as the CPSC advises for any product that develops a problem.

Three rules that don't bend. Never reset over and over: reset only after removing what you think caused the trip, and if it trips again, stop. Never tape or hold a breaker ON. And never replace it with a bigger breaker, even if it keeps tripping. A breaker is sized to protect the wire in the wall, not the appliance; the ESFi and the CPSC both warn that an oversized fuse or breaker lets excess current overheat the wiring until a fire can start. If a circuit can't handle what you need, an electrician can add one.

Most Likely Causes

1. An overloaded circuit. The most common cause; the CPSC says a trip is often a warning of one. Every outlet and light on a circuit shares one breaker, typically 15 or 20 amps, and a circuit often spans more than one room. In winter the usual culprit is a space heater: at 1,500 watts it draws 12.5 amps at 120 volts, which alone exceeds the 80% load (about 1,440 watts) the ESFi recommends as the limit for a 15-amp circuit. Add a hair dryer or a second heater and it trips. The signature is a trip after things have run a while, because a breaker's overload protection has a built-in delay. Fix: move loads to other circuits, one heater per circuit, plugged straight into the wall; on a 15-amp circuit, make it the only thing running or use its low setting, since a 20-amp circuit gives more headroom; our space heater guide covers the rest. If it trips with only the heater running, or the plug or outlet gets hot, stop using that outlet and call an electrician.
2. A short circuit. Current takes an abnormal path through a damaged cord, a failed appliance, or a wiring fault. Breakers trip on a short instantly, sometimes with a pop. If you saw a flash, sparks, or a scorch mark, or you smell burning, don't reset it: leave it OFF and call an electrician. Otherwise, unplug everything on the circuit and reset once. If it holds, check cords and plugs for damage before adding appliances back one at a time. If it trips again with nothing plugged in, call an electrician.
3. A ground fault, or a tripped GFCI. A ground fault is current leaking through an unintended path, such as water or a person, and GFCI protection cuts power fast to prevent a shock. Current electrical code calls for it in wet and damp areas such as kitchens, bathrooms, garages, basements, crawl spaces, laundry areas, and outdoors (see our glossary), and moisture or a faulty appliance is the usual trigger. A GFCI outlet has TEST and RESET buttons and also protects outlets wired downstream of it; press RESET. A GFCI breaker protects the whole circuit and resets like any breaker, OFF, then ON. Leviton's advice: check what was plugged in, downstream outlets included, and unplug any obvious cause. If it keeps tripping, or the cause isn't obvious, call an electrician. A GFCI outlet that is discolored, warm, or holds plugs loosely needs replacing: stop using it and have an electrician replace it. Outdoor outlets need a weatherproof cover, per the CPSC, rated weatherproof while in use if something stays plugged in during wet weather.
4. An AFCI trip. AFCI breakers protect bedroom and living-area circuits in newer homes by cutting power when they sense arcing across damaged wire or a loose connection, which the CPSC notes ordinary breakers don't catch until a fire may have started. A damaged appliance cord or a nail through a cable can cause a real arc fault. But some appliances, vacuum cleaners among them, produce a signature an AFCI can mistake for an arc, and Leviton notes older AFCIs may not recognize newer appliances. Note which appliance was running, check its cord, and call an electrician, who can test the breaker and replace an older AFCI if that is the problem. Never swap an AFCI for a standard breaker to stop the trips: that removes fire protection the code requires on those circuits in newer homes.
5. A worn or failing breaker. Breakers can wear out, tripping at loads they should carry or refusing to reset. You can't tell that from a wiring fault by looking; it takes testing inside the panel, which the CPSC notes is usually live even with the main breaker off. Call an electrician. If your panel says Federal Pacific Electric (FPE) or Stab-Lok, mention it: in 1980 FPE's parent company told the CPSC that many FPE breakers didn't fully meet UL requirements, and CPSC testing confirmed some failed UL calibration tests. The CPSC closed its investigation in 1983 without a recall and without deciding whether they are safe.

What You Can Fix Yourself

• Reset a tripped breaker once, the safe way, after unplugging what's on it.
• Move space heaters, hair dryers, and other high-wattage appliances to separate circuits.
• Unplug an appliance that trips a breaker or GFCI, and have it repaired or replaced.
• Press RESET on a tripped GFCI outlet, with dry hands, after unplugging what's on it.
• Map your circuits: switch off one breaker at a time, note what goes dead, and label the panel, as our first 30 days guide shows.

A plug-in tester makes mapping a one-person job, and on an outlet downstream of a GFCI its test button should trip the GFCI protecting it. Klein rates it for indoor use on 3-wire outlets only and says it catches only common wiring problems: if it shows a fault, skip the GFCI test and call an electrician.

Everything else is the electrician's. Note which breaker tripped, what was running, and how fast it tripped.

When to Call a Pro

Call an electrician now, and leave the circuit off, for any of these warning signs from the NFPA, the ESFi, and the CPSC:

• A burning or rubbery smell from an outlet, switch, appliance, or the panel.
• An outlet or switch that feels warm or hot (a dimmer can run slightly warm normally), a hot panel cover, or discoloration around any of them.
• Buzzing, crackling, or sizzling from the panel, an outlet, or a switch.
• Scorch marks, melted plastic, or sparks.
• Water on or near the panel. Don't touch it or stand in the water. If water has reached the panel, or you'd have to stand in water to reach it, call your electric utility to cut power from outside, and have an electrician inspect before power goes back on.
• A tingle or shock from an appliance. Don't touch it again; switch that circuit off at the breaker if you can reach it safely.

Book an electrician soon for a breaker that trips again with nothing plugged in or won't reset; frequent trips, which the NFPA lists as a reason to call; a GFCI or AFCI that keeps tripping, or a GFCI that fails its TEST; flickering or dimming lights; too few circuits, so extension cords do permanent duty; or an FPE panel.

Prevent It

Spread the load. The CPSC warns against putting several high-current appliances, such as heaters, on one low-amperage circuit, and the NFPA says to plug only one heat-producing appliance into an outlet at a time. That means one space heater per circuit, plugged straight into the wall, and off when you leave the room or go to sleep; our winter guide has the rest of the heater rules.

Test GFCI outlets monthly, following the manufacturer's instructions: press TEST and a plugged-in lamp should go out; press RESET and it should come back. The CPSC and the NFPA also call for monthly tests of GFCI and AFCI breakers with their TEST buttons. One that fails needs replacing by an electrician. Keep the panel clear and labeled, and if your house is 40 or more years old, newly bought, or trips breakers often, the ESFi suggests having a licensed electrician inspect it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it dangerous if a breaker keeps tripping?

The trip is the protection working; the danger is ignoring or defeating it. A trip you can trace to a heater and a hair dryer is fixed by moving one. Frequent trips, or trips with nothing plugged in or with a smell, heat, or buzzing, need an electrician.

Why does my breaker trip when I run a space heater?

A 1,500-watt heater draws 12.5 amps on high, most of a 15-amp circuit, so anything else on that circuit, in any room it feeds, can push it over. Move the heater to a circuit with little else on it. If it trips with the heater alone, or the plug or outlet gets hot, stop using that outlet and call an electrician.

Why is an outlet dead when no breaker has tripped?

Look for a tripped GFCI outlet upstream on the same circuit, often in a kitchen, bathroom, garage, or outdoors, and press its RESET. If it won't reset or the outlet stays dead, call an electrician.

The Bottom Line

Unplug what's on the circuit, reset once with dry hands, OFF then ON, and move the heavy loads, starting with the space heater. If it trips again with nothing plugged in, a GFCI or AFCI keeps tripping, or you notice burning, heat, buzzing, scorch marks, or water near the panel, leave it off and call an electrician. Never reset over and over, never tape a breaker on, and never swap in a bigger one.

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