What to Do When Your Furnace Trips a Breaker

It’s already November and we are anticipating the upcoming holidays. Cooler air is moving in and you turn your furnace on for the first time. Oops! Your breaker trips. What does that mean and what can you do about it?

Unfortunately, when your HVAC system is tripping breakers, it may be more than just a minor inconvenience. The circuit breakers in your home are built with a safety precaution system. Circuit breakers are designed to trip when they detect a fault in the system. These have the potential to create hazards and cause fires as well as damage equipment. If your furnace is tripping a breaker, there may be a serious safety risk that needs to be addressed.

Reset the breaker. If this works and you have no further issues, the problem may have been something like a temporary power surge or spike in the grid. Keep an eye on it. But if your furnace continues to trip the breaker, the source needs to be located and repaired.

The most common problems with a furnace that continues to trip the breaker are:

• An overloaded furnace

• An overloaded shared circuit
• A short circuit or ground fault inside the furnace
• A problem with the circuit breaker itself

An Overloaded Furnace

An overloaded furnace can be caused by numerous things. These can be

• Dirty air filters
• Blocked air vents
• Restricted ductwork
• Malfunctioning parts inside the furnace

Some of these things can be fixed by the homeowner but some require the skill of a Philadelphia furnace repair professional.

An Overloaded Shared Circuit

Electricity hogs such as your HVAC system should be on their own circuits. But many older homes were not constructed this way and your furnace may share a circuit with other appliances, lights or outlets. This can overload these circuits. Have a Philadelphia HVAC contractor either move the other shared items off that circuit or move the furnace to its own circuit.

A Short Circuit or Ground Fault Inside the Furnace

Short circuits can happen when a hot wire comes into contact with a neutral one. A ground fault can occur when a hot wire touches a ground wire or another grounded part in the furnace. Both of these create a surge of electric current that the furnace is pulling. This type of issue should be left to a Philadelphia HVAC repair professional.

Circuit Breaker Issues

Sometimes the problem isn’t with the furnace but with the breaker or panel itself. This requires the expertise of an electrician.

Breakers that continue to trip create a fire risk and potential damage to your electrical system. When you are experiencing tripped breakers when you turn on your furnace, you want an experienced professional.

The repair experts at Affordable Fixes LLC are here to help. For over 30 years, we have been the Philadelphia HVAC professionals more residents have trusted for their plumbing and HVAC needs. Call us today when your furnace needs the skill of a professional.