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How to Trace a Short Circuit or Overload

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By hometips


There could be a number of problems with you home electrical circuits. There could be faulty wiring, overload on a circuit, defective wall switches or receptacles, defective cords or plugs. Sometimes you may not be able to know what caused the short circuit.

Short circuits normally happens when a hot wire touches a neutral or ground wire. The extra current flowing through the circuit causes the breaker to trip or fuse to blow.

It is easy to tell whether there is a short circuit or not. But it is not always easy to trace where exactly it happened.

Here I explain how to trace a short circuit or overload.


Circuit: Before and After Short Circuit
Circuit: Before and After Short Circuit

Tracing a Short Circuit or Overload

In order to trace a short circuit, turning off all wall switches and unplug all lights and appliances. Now reset the tripped breaker. If there is a fuse in place of breaker, replace it. Now check Following:

- Once you reset the breaker, does it trip off immediately again. If yes, there could be a short circuit in a receptacle or switch.

- If the breaker does not trip again, turn on each switch one at a time and check when the breaker trips again.

- If turning on a switch causes the breaker to trip, there's a short circuit in a fixture or receptacle controlled by the switch.
- If the breaker doesn’t trips even after turning ON all switches, there could some problem is in one of the appliances connected to the switch.

- If the breaker trips as soon as the appliance is plugged in and switched ON, there is problem in the cord or plug connected to the appliance.

- If the breaker trips or the fuse blows when the appliance is turned ON, there is problem in the appliance.

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