Breaker Tripping...? Volume III

It’s summer here in San Antonio and South Texas! Temps are up and are still climbing! Texans are certainly no stranger to heat,

but what about tripping circuit breakers?

The higher Temperatures during the summer months lead to higher energy consumption in our homes. We rely on the comfort of our Air Conditioners to cool us down; and with kids home from school for during the daytime, and more people working from home, extra summer visitors...the demand on our electrical systems can take its toll.

We may not take notice of some smaller electrical issues in our homes; items such as non-working outlets, switches or the

occasional light fixture we don’t use too often. Those issues can always be placed on a back-burner to address at another time.

We do, however take notice when we lose power to a room, a major appliance, or even our beloved Air Conditioner!

The longer the exposure to higher temperatures, the more heat-related damage to electrical components can occur. When exposed

 to excessive heat, the internal components of a breaker has the propensity to deteriorate. This can greatly reduce the lifespan

and reliability of a circuit breaker, thusly resulting in Breaker Trips or even failure of said Breaker.

Most often, we can manually reset a tripped breaker, but after several resets this can be a huge inconvenience.

When Circuit Breakers trip, there is an underlying issue that should be addressed by an experienced and licensed electrician,

to safely locate the problem and make the necessary repairs.

Let’s take a look at some things we can do to help prevent issues such as this:

Overloading Circuits – This is one of the most common causes for breakers to trip and especially during the hotter months of the year. Make certain to manage your plug ins per circuit, especially the high energy type; such as Refrigerators, Air Conditioners, Freezers…etc. You should distribute your electrical loads by circuit if at all possible.

Appliance Surge Protection – Surge Protection for your appliances, shields them from occurrences such as power surges, lighting strikes, or black outs/ brown outs from the city’s electrical grid. Surge protectors can prevent surges from reaching sensitive electrical components, including circuit breakers, reducing the likelihood of tripping by turning the surge protector off.

Whole Home Surge Protection – Similar to the models made for your major appliances to plug into however, whole home surge protection works in your main service panel and provides protection throughout your entire home. This version of surge protection became part of the National Electrical Code in 2020. For more information on Whole Home Surge Protection:

 https://www.boltelectricsa.com/lighting-strikes-and-power-surges-oh-my

Maintain adequate space/ airflow - You should always make sure the area around your Service Panel or Subpanel is clear of debris, furniture, appliances…etc. Often times, we run out of space and place something in front of the electrical panel, or under it. The service panels/ subpanels require enough space to be able to open the cover completely, to be able to access the breakers inside. This can keep the overall temperature on the interior of the panel down, which can assist in keeping breakers form overheating, as well as provide a work area in the event you have to have it serviced for repairs.

Upgrade/ Replacement - When you have issues with multiple breakers tripping; and often, it may be time for an upgrade or replacement of your Service Panel/ Subpanel (or both). Technology advances so much faster these days, and our older electrical systems can struggle to keep up with the higher demand of today’s electrical appliances/ devices…etc.  If it’s been 10 or so years since you’ve had your electrical system checked out for safety, you may want to have an experienced electrician come out and inspect your panels to see if they may require an upgrade or quite possibly replacement.

Call on a Professional - If you have a circuit breaker that continues to trip despite taking preventive measures, we here at Bolt Electric cannot stress enough how important it is to contact an experienced and licensed electrician to assist. Someone with electrical knowledge can inspect and diagnose any unforeseen issues and give you solutions that are not only safe, and up to the electrical code standards, but can also give you peace of mind as well.   

To sum it up, your electrical systems can be affected by the higher temperatures of the season, and can compromise the internal components of the circuit breakers, causing them to trip. That coupled with the higher demand for electrical usage, can cause them to prematurely fail altogether, resulting in power outages and the like.

We hope the above mentioned preventative measures assist you in keeping your electrical systems up and running smoothly, and that the only “Trips” you experience this summer season; are because you’re on vacation!   

If you’re experiencing frequent breaker trips in your electrical panels, Bolt Electric is here to help. Our Licensed and experienced electricians in San Antonio can assist with Circuit Breaker replacements/ repairs, as well as Service Panel Upgrades/ Replacements. Please don’t hesitate to reach out, as we specialize in Electrical Maintenance and Repair!

BOLT ELECTRIC, LLC

18847 REDLAND ROAD, SUITE 105

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS 78249

(210) 545-2658