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One thing all heatwaves have in common is that they put an excessive strain on your home appliances. From your air conditioning system to your refrigerator, each appliance has to work harder to keep your home, food, and drinks inside your freezer or refrigerator cold. Unfortunately, this can cause circuit breakers to trip. Below, we’ll suggest some helpful tips to prevent circuit breakers from tripping in your home during the next heat wave.
Reasons Your Home’s Circuit Breaker Trips
It’s essential to recognize that there are several reasons your circuit breakers may trip during a heatwave. Successfully identifying the cause of a tripped breaker can allow you to choose the right preventative steps to avoid another unfortunate breaker trip in the future.
A Reasons Why a Circuit Overloads
One reason your circuits may trip more often during heat waves is that you are simply overloading them. You may be running multiple fans alongside your ceiling fans and air conditioner. Running too many devices on one electrical circuit can overload it, causing your circuit breaker to trip —a safety mechanism that prevents fire hazards.
Lower Electrical Load Tolerance of Breakers
Each circuit breaker in your electrical panel is rated for a specific number of amps, such as 20 amps. Whenever more than 20 amps of power travel through the line, the breaker will trip. Unfortunately, when the temperature outside rises, it can cause a higher ambient temperature inside your panel box.
Your circuit breaker’s metal strip will heat up faster, which can affect the breaker’s ability to operate. Circuit breakers will have a lower electrical load tolerance during hotter temperatures. This means the same 20-amp breaker may trip when 18 amps of power are going through the line. If your current usage habits are close to the 20-amp mark, the circuit breaker will likely trip when the weather gets hot due to its lower tolerance.
Loose Wire Connections
Metal naturally expands when exposed to heat. If any of the wiring throughout your home is loose, it may fail due to the heat. For example, a loose wire going to one of your outlets can function perfectly until the ambient temperature rises.
As the metal expands, less of it will be in direct contact with the terminal screw. This leads to a smaller area of the wire contacting the outlet. A smaller contact area translates to more heat generation, which can trigger breaker trips.
Power Grid Voltage Fluctuations
During heat waves, more homeowners run an excessive number of appliances than usual. This can put a considerable strain on the local power grid, causing it to supply less voltage to each home. A home experiencing a voltage drop is referred to as a brownout.
When a brownout occurs, it can affect your household appliances, such as your air conditioner and refrigerator. Their internal motors require a specific voltage to operate correctly. When the voltage supply drops, the motor draws more amperage through the circuit than usual. This increase in amperage can cause too much energy to flow through the circuit, which will trip the circuit breaker.
Old Electrical Components
Another simple reason your home may experience more circuit breaker trips during heat waves is an aging electrical system. Older circuit breakers with worn-out internal components are more likely to trip during high temperatures because their internal mechanisms are less effective than they once were.
How To Prevent Circuit Breaker Trips
As a homeowner, there are steps you can take to reduce your risk of experiencing frequent circuit breaker trips during heat waves. Some of these tips should be implemented during a heat wave, while others can be done at any time to help improve the efficiency of your home’s electrical system.
Outdated Panel Upgrades
If you have an aging electrical system, upgrading it with newer components can significantly reduce your risk of experiencing circuit breaker trips during heat waves. When upgrading, consider increasing your amperage if your home is currently connected to less than 200 amps. You will want to replace your circuit breakers, panel box, and potentially your wiring. Additionally, consider upgrading your outlets, lighting fixtures, and light switches if they are more than 15 years old.
Routine Electrical Inspections
Another tip for preventing circuit tripping is to conduct routine electrical inspections. Our electricians will examine every component of your electrical system and repair any defects, such as a loose wire connected to one of your outlets. This will ensure tight connections, so you don’t experience tripping due to overheated contact points on your electrical devices. We recommend getting an inspection once a year for homes that are 15 years old or older and every two years for homes that are 15 years old or younger.
Spread Appliance Usage
Another helpful tip to reduce your energy draw during heat waves is to spread out your appliance usage. This means not running your air conditioner, oven, and dryer at the same time. Also, keep the time of day in mind when running these appliances. The most significant demand from the electrical grid occurs during daylight hours when it is hottest. Reserve energy-intensive items like your oven or dishwasher for later in the day, when it’s cooler outside, as most people will be using less energy from the grid at that time.
Enhance Electrical Panel Ventilation
The location of your electrical panel can significantly impact its temperature during heat waves. If your panel box is located in your attic or garage, it can heat up more during the daytime. This leads to a decrease in the tolerance of your circuit breakers and can cause the breakers to trip more frequently. If your panel box is in one of these less-than-ideal locations, consider relocating it to enhance airflow. Choose a location, such as the basement, that is less affected by outdoor temperatures.
Home Energy Monitoring System
A home energy monitoring system can be a valuable asset, helping you see in real-time how much amperage each electrical circuit is drawing and alerting you when overloads occur. By understanding your energy usage on a typical day, you can make more effective adjustments to reduce it during heat waves.
A Note on Whole-Home Surge Protectors
One electrical upgrade that every homeowner should consider is a whole-home surge protector. Most people are familiar with power strip surge protectors, which protect appliances plugged into them from power surges. A whole-home surge protector is installed directly at your panel box to capture excess energy flowing through your line before it reaches all the components of your electrical system. This device protects your electrical system, appliances, and other electronic devices from permanent damage due to power surges.
Reliable Electrical Panel Upgrade Service
Pipe Works Services offers reliable electrical panel upgrade services to the Chatham, NJ community. We can also assist with all your whole-home surge protection, electrical installation, and electrical repair needs. Simply call Pipe Works Services office today to schedule your next electrical service consultation.
