And I mean like... flip the breaker and it immediately goes into the tripped position. Not after 5-15 seconds, but immediately. You don't even have enough time to remove your hand from the breaker. You've got a dead short somewhere
if it trips after 5-15 seconds
check to see if the main breaker getting warm?
If it is, check the temperature of the wiring... at least 8-12 inches away from the circuit breaker. If the wiring is getting warm also, then you've got an over-current condition. If the wiring's temperature feels normal... and not warm, then you've got a circuit breaker going bad, and/or, the circuit breaker wiring connections are loose.
You could also have a circuit breaker that isn't seated properly on it's base connections.
It is normal for the copper wire to give way to the screw terminals over time, and to maintain good electrical contact, you must re-tighten them. Remember, there's a lot of current running through these connections, and if they are even the slightest bit loose, this bad connection will generate enough heat to fry even the best circuit breakers.
Sometimes, when making this correction, the circuit breaker will still get warm. If this is the case, be prepared to replace the breaker, because thermal damage has already occurred. If tripping continues, then what I do is replace the circuit breaker with a brand new one, and then wait and see what happens.
__________________
Don't forget to click the
"accept" button
Positive feedback is appreciated.
