Circuit breaker tripping
#1
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Circuit breaker tripping
hi, im hoping somebody may be able to help.
I have one room in my which house, which was built last year, that the circuit breaker trips when I hook my tv into my cable box. The tv and cable box can both be plugged into the power outlets and turn on normally however as soon as i plug the tv into the cable with coaxial cable or hdmi cable the circuit trips.
if i run an extension cable from another room (another circuit) and plug the tv in, the breaker doesnt trip and the tv works fine with normal picture. if i run a coaxial cable from another room into the cable box, with the tv and cable box plugged into the outlets in that room it trips the circuit.
i had the electrician who did the house come out and he said everything was hooked up fine and that it was the comcast cable line. the comcast guy came out and said it was the electrical lines.
anybody have any ideas?
I have one room in my which house, which was built last year, that the circuit breaker trips when I hook my tv into my cable box. The tv and cable box can both be plugged into the power outlets and turn on normally however as soon as i plug the tv into the cable with coaxial cable or hdmi cable the circuit trips.
if i run an extension cable from another room (another circuit) and plug the tv in, the breaker doesnt trip and the tv works fine with normal picture. if i run a coaxial cable from another room into the cable box, with the tv and cable box plugged into the outlets in that room it trips the circuit.
i had the electrician who did the house come out and he said everything was hooked up fine and that it was the comcast cable line. the comcast guy came out and said it was the electrical lines.
anybody have any ideas?
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Were you using all the same equipment before you tried to hook things up in the new room? If I am understanding everything the you have written it seems as though the trouble is with the cable. I have been an electrician 50+ years and at a loss on this one.
Is the CB of the GFI type?
Is the CB of the GFI type?
#3
What if you plug everything in with everything turned off. Hook up all the coax with everything turned off. Does it still trip? Like watchman, is it a GFCI breaker? If so, the shielding on the coax is abraded and is most likely touching an electrical part somewhere in it's travels. It's not comcast, it's the installation, IMO.
I had a client for whom I remodeled a basement. Knowing he was a big TV watcher, I divided up his entertainment room with two circuits so if he planned on running a small heater he could do so without messing with the over amperage thing. Well, he decided to run 2 each 1500 watt heaters in the room last winter (he has Central HVAC), and hooked them in on one half of the room that was on one circuit. Naturally the 20 amp breaker wouldn't handle it.
Let us know about the GFCI thingy.
I had a client for whom I remodeled a basement. Knowing he was a big TV watcher, I divided up his entertainment room with two circuits so if he planned on running a small heater he could do so without messing with the over amperage thing. Well, he decided to run 2 each 1500 watt heaters in the room last winter (he has Central HVAC), and hooked them in on one half of the room that was on one circuit. Naturally the 20 amp breaker wouldn't handle it.
Let us know about the GFCI thingy.
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All of this equipment has worked in another room. i actually have another cable box in the house that is working normally and when i hooked it up it still tripped it.
yes, it still trips the system with everything turned off.
the circuit breaker has a switch that says 15 on it. not sure if gfci. how do i find that out?
thx
Adam
yes, it still trips the system with everything turned off.
the circuit breaker has a switch that says 15 on it. not sure if gfci. how do i find that out?
thx
Adam
#6
An AFCI or GFCI circuit breaker will have a button that says "TEST" on it. Since it was built last year, it is likely a AFCI protected circuit which is required by code, as PCBoss said.
If possible, run a TV cable from another jack in the house to the TV/box and see if it still trips.
If possible, run a TV cable from another jack in the house to the TV/box and see if it still trips.
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i ran a coaxial cable from the wall outlet of another room that is working normally and it still tripped the breaker in this room. that is why the comcast guy said it isnt the cable line because it still tripped the breaker when we ran it from another room.
the house does have outlets scattered throughout that have the test button. the tv and cable are plugged into outlets that do not have test on them.
thx!
the house does have outlets scattered throughout that have the test button. the tv and cable are plugged into outlets that do not have test on them.
thx!
#8
I would start by replacing ALL coaxial connectors and splitters. As chandler said it is likely the shielding of the coax that is touching something that it should not be. What type of coax connectors are used? Crimp on? screw on? Compression? I only used compression when I was a cable tech. I found that the other types of connectors never made good contact with the shielding or the shielding would end up touching the conductor. That is not to say that I never saw this with compression fittings, but it was less likely. Are your splitters and ground blocks properly bonded? Have you verified the 120V outlet is wired properly?
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the electrician said its wired properly. it is an afci and he said he would recommend taking out the afci and changing it to a regular breaker since the room is not a bedroom. he said this is safe and under code because you only need an afci in bedrooms. what do you guys think?
thx
thx
#10
According to this information which I found here: http://www.iaei.org/regulations/us/tennessee/ AFCI breakers are optional in rooms other then the bedrooms. That means the breaker could be changed out to a standard one and still meet code. In my state, (MN) we are under the 2011 code so we have to put them in almost all rooms.
However, that does not address the cause of the tripping breaker. It should not be tripping. If you plug in the TV/cable box into a different AFCI protected circuit, does that one trip when connecting the coax?
In Article 210.12(B) of the 2008 edition of the National Electrical Code, arc-fault circuit interrupters, combination type, shall be required for all bedrooms and in all other rooms shall be optional.
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yes it works on another afci circuit. i convinced the electrician to come back and change out the afci breaker to see if it is that. if not, i guess the wiring needs to be checked.
#14
IF it works on another AFCI breaker, you are correct, it is either the breaker or the wiring of that circuit. IF the breaker checks out, open each box of that circuit and look for a ground touching a neutral screw. This will cause AFCIs to trip.
#15
i convinced the electrician to come back and change out the afci breaker to see if it is that. if not, i guess the wiring needs to be checked.