How To Solve Power Tripping Problem?

Most people in Singapore have experienced power tripping problem at one point of their life or the other. This problem can cause one to despair considering the fact that most people don’t know how to solve this problem. It is important to understand that every house has a complex but interrelated electric wiring system which lays hidden behind the walls. This means that finding a problem with this system could be a difficult task.

To identify the root cause of this problem, one must narrow down the possible causes of the problem until you reach at exact cause of the problem. Before we look at ways through which you can solve this problem, it would be important if we first understood the reasons why the tripping occurs in the first place.

Imagine that you are in the middle of you best movie when the circuit breaker trips. You reset it again and it trips again. Well, that could be very disappointing. At this stage, the best thing you can do is to identify the root cause of the problem. You should understand that circuit breakers have been made in such a way that they trip whenever there is a problem such as;

Overloaded circuit- this is the major cause of tripping. This usually happens when the electric load is much more that the circuit can hold. Circuit breakers have different ratings and it is this rating that will determine how much current will be allowed to pass through the circuit. The circuit breaker will always break to protect your electric circuit from overheating.

Short circuit- this is a more serious problem as compared to the circuit overload system. A short circuit will occur when a heated wire comes into contact with another hot wire or the neutral wire. A short can also occur in the event of a bleak in one or more wire in the circuit. This problem is hard to diagnose considering the fact that the problem could emanate from a wiring problem in your house or it could also come from a wiring problem in one of the device that you have attached/plugged on the electrical system.

Ground fault- this kind of electric problem will occur if the black (hot) comes into contact with ground wire or when it comes into contact with the sides of the metal box. This is due to the fact that the metal box is connected to the ground wire. We can argue that ground fault is another form of short of circuit.

How to solve power tripping problem in Singapore?

Fixing overloaded circuit problem

The most probable reason why the circuit breaker tripped is because there were just too many items which had been plugged in one or more outlets which is connected to a single circuit.

If you have more than one outlet in your house, move items such as iron box, lamps, hair driers and heaters and any other high power consuming item to other circuits that are not heavily used.

Try to turn off some of the devices that are not in use in order to reduce load on the circuit. Take note of all your electrical devices to ensure that you don’t plug-in more items that will require more current than the circuit can provide.

The problem could also be as a result of loose connections. Switch the power off and then check on all the outlet wires to see if any of them is loose. Also check on the electric service panel hot wire which is normally connected to the circuit breaker to see if it has gotten loose. Tighten all the connection wires if you find that any of them is loose.

If after effecting the above remedies you realize that the problem still persist, then know that you are facing a more serious problem which could either be a ground fault or short circuit.

Fixing electric tripping problem caused by short circuit

Switch off the power at the outlets i.e. where you plug in your electric equipment. Check all the power cords for possible damages and any sign of melting. Check all the plugs and outlets and pay attention to any smell of burning. Also take note of black or brown discolorations on these plugs.

Check on all the outlet wires insulation to ensure that the insulation is not broken or cracked such that it is coming into contact with the white or black wires. If you have not yet detected the problem after going through this problem, then you should repeat the process on all the outlets in all the circuits. If you still fail to see any problem, then the problem could as a result of ground fault.

Fixing power tripping problem as a result of ground fault

The steps are basically the same as those of checking short circuit problems only that with ground fault, you should check to see if the black (hot) wire has made contact with the ground wire or possibly on the sides of the metal outlet box. Bear in mind that the metal box is usually connected to the ground wire.

When the circuit breaker trips, the most important question that you should ask yourself is; is the short emanating from a fault in the electrical wiring system or from an equipment that you have plugged in on the circuit? To check where the problem lies, you should follow the following steps.

· Turn off all the fixtures plugged in in the circuit.

· Unplug all electrical devices from the outlets.

· Get to the electric service panel where you will reset the circuit breaker.

· If it immediately trips again, you should know that the problem does not lie with you devices but rather on the electrical wiring in the house.

· If it does not trip again, turn on the light devices that you had not plugged in earlier. For example lighting. If it does not trip, then this is an indication that the problem is with one of the devices that you plug in in the outlet.

· One after the other, plug in each of the appliances in to the outlet until such a time you identify the faulty appliance. You can either choose to have it replaced or repaired. If all your appliances are in good working condition but the circuit breaker keeps on tripping, it could be a good time to try a new one.