A tripping breaker is not a fault: it is a protection doing its job. It cuts the power when something is wrong. Understanding why it trips lets you react correctly.
The most common causes
- Overload: too many powerful appliances on the same circuit (oven, kettle, heater)
- Faulty appliance: an end-of-life appliance that draws too much or leaks to earth
- Short circuit: contact between two conductors, often caused by a damaged cable
- Insulation fault: moisture or a damaged cable, which trips the residual-current device
The right reflexes
- Unplug appliances recently connected to the circuit concerned
- Reset once only, without forcing it and without opening the panel
- If it trips again, do not retry: have the installation checked
- Never increase a breaker's rating and never bypass it
When to call an electrician
Call a professional if the breaker trips repeatedly, if you smell burning, if a socket is hot or blackened, or if you cannot find the cause. If there is smoke or flames, leave the building and call 112.
LEXY-ELEC looks for the cause of the trip, not just a reset: we test the circuits, identify the appliance or cable at fault and make the installation safe.