Bizarre circuit breaker issue!
#1
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Bizarre circuit breaker issue!
Good day,
I just recently moved into a house that is about 26-27 years old and everything seemed to work fine except that I noticed everytime I turn on the microwave, it trips one of the breakers that has garage door and outside outlets on it. The microwave itself doesn't shut off and keeps working but everytime it's turned on, it trips that one particular breaker. Also, the other day I had a plumber over using one of his machines in the washroom that tripped the same breaker! As with the microwave, plumbing machine kept working but the breaker tripped. I can keep resetting the breaker but it gets quite annoying and more importantly, it has me worried that one day I come home from work and the bloody place is burned down!
Does anyone know what is going on with my breaker or did anyone have similar issues? If yes, what can I do to fix it?
Thanks in advance,
Roman
I just recently moved into a house that is about 26-27 years old and everything seemed to work fine except that I noticed everytime I turn on the microwave, it trips one of the breakers that has garage door and outside outlets on it. The microwave itself doesn't shut off and keeps working but everytime it's turned on, it trips that one particular breaker. Also, the other day I had a plumber over using one of his machines in the washroom that tripped the same breaker! As with the microwave, plumbing machine kept working but the breaker tripped. I can keep resetting the breaker but it gets quite annoying and more importantly, it has me worried that one day I come home from work and the bloody place is burned down!
Does anyone know what is going on with my breaker or did anyone have similar issues? If yes, what can I do to fix it?
Thanks in advance,
Roman
#2
Welcome to the forums!
Are we talking about a circuit breaker that is in your electrical panel that you have to turn off, then on to reset? Or is this a GFCI receptacle with the "Test" and "Reset" buttons on it?
Are we talking about a circuit breaker that is in your electrical panel that you have to turn off, then on to reset? Or is this a GFCI receptacle with the "Test" and "Reset" buttons on it?
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Hi Tolyn- it's a gfci in the electrical panel.
Hi Joecaption1 - am not sure of the make, didn't pay much attention to the make. Can take a look once I get home.
Thanks for prompt responses folks!
Hi Joecaption1 - am not sure of the make, didn't pay much attention to the make. Can take a look once I get home.
Thanks for prompt responses folks!
#7
I think we are going to need a picture of the inside of your panel showing how the breaker is wired. I think you might have an improperly wired GFCI breaker. Not really a "burn the house down" issue, but still an issue.
How to include pictures:
http://www.doityourself.com/forum/el...-pictures.html
How to include pictures:
http://www.doityourself.com/forum/el...-pictures.html
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Great. I called an electrician to come in and take a look at it all and let me know what it's going to take to fix the issue. Once I know diagnosis and proper remedy, I will post here for other folks that may run into the same issue.
Much gratitude to everyone taking the time to post a reply to me!
Regards,
Roman
Much gratitude to everyone taking the time to post a reply to me!
Regards,
Roman
#11
The microwave should not be on the same breaker as:
so a new circuit needs to be run for it. The GFCI breaker if expensive can be replaced with a non GFCI Breaker and GFCI receptacles probably at a lower cost.
To see the wires in the breaker you must remove the panel cover. CAUTION turn off main breaker first. CAUTION some areas are hot even with the main breaker off.
I noticed everytime I turn on the microwave, it trips one of the breakers that has garage door and outside outlets on it
From what I see on the panel, they are all white cables
#12
The microwave itself doesn't shut off and keeps working but everytime it's turned on, it trips that one particular breaker.
As with the microwave, plumbing machine kept working but the breaker tripped.
I agree with TI, I'd also like to see a picture of the panel interior and how the GFCI breaker is wired.
#13
Edit: My thought was a handel tied breaker on maybe a multiwire and .... but as I see now it was the heavy load of the adjacent circuit breaker generating a magnetic field that tripped the GFCI. Well duh. Never thought of that.
Last edited by ray2047; 08-01-13 at 12:00 PM.
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I just spoke with electrician and this is what he explained:
- Microwave is on it's own circuit like it's supposed to, garage and outdoor outlets are on separate.
- He took out trouble gfci and replaced it with a regular breaker and everything works fine now.
- He will place a gfci unit upstairs (ground level) front of the house.
He couldn't figure out why gfci was giving me such a hard time as wiring is in proper place, this solution that he is putting in, will solve my issue and alleviate my fear of finding the house burned to the ground
Once again, thanks for all responses. You guys were great in providing different opinions to a newb, it helps me that much to get used to electric terms and different possibilities of what could potentially happen.
- Microwave is on it's own circuit like it's supposed to, garage and outdoor outlets are on separate.
- He took out trouble gfci and replaced it with a regular breaker and everything works fine now.
- He will place a gfci unit upstairs (ground level) front of the house.
He couldn't figure out why gfci was giving me such a hard time as wiring is in proper place, this solution that he is putting in, will solve my issue and alleviate my fear of finding the house burned to the ground
Once again, thanks for all responses. You guys were great in providing different opinions to a newb, it helps me that much to get used to electric terms and different possibilities of what could potentially happen.
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I'm glad your problem has been resolved. I'll offer my take on what I think was going on to try to take some of the mystery out of what was happening. A GFI breaker/receptacle works by sensing the current going out on the hot conductor and the current returning on the neutral conductor. When there is a difference, exceeding a certain value, the breaker trips. It is designed to make sure current going out is returning and not going somewhere it isn't supposed to. That being said, what I think was going on is you had a multi-wire branch circuit(probably a 12/3 romex) for both circuits you described and both circuits shared the common neutral in that cable. When you used the one circuit, the GFI was sensing return current on the neutral from the other circuit, tripping the GFI breaker only.