I have a 15 AMP breaker that will not stay on. Shut off lights, went to bed as usual and in the morning the lights would not come on. I inspected the breaker panel and found that circuit was tripped. When I tried to flip it back on, it lasted less than a second with a sort of "bzzzz pop" sound. Same results every time I try to flip it back on – seemed like a short to me.
This breaker covers the overhead lighting (13 recessed flood lights) for 2 rooms and vanity lighting (4 LED bulbs) and 2 outlets (1 is GFCI) in a bathroom. There is a light switch in the bathroom, a light switch in one room and a dual switch in the other (one for each room). I figured I'd start ruling out components one by one.
In order to troubleshoot, I first removed all the bulbs just in case there was a bad ballast causing an issue – no change. I then removed the leads on all the outlets and light switches and tried again – no change. I then swapped out the breaker in the main panel – no change. I crawled into the attic and didn't see any damage (though a lot of the wiring is not easy to get to, I saw no evidence of animals chewing through anything). Is there anything I'm missing that I could look at?
Best Answer
In most cases of getting a "bzzz pop" on a circuit breaker there is a 98% chance you have a direct short to ground and if this happens once you shouldn't keep trying. The only thing it does is cause further damage to your electrical system.
The first thing I would do is to turn very switch to the off position and unplug every piece of equipment from the system. I would remove the panel cover and using an ohm meter or continuity tester to see if I got a "ring" between the load side of the breaker and the neutral/ground buss which indicates a short. Or you could just reset the breaker if you don't have any meters but remember you are damaging your circuit and the breaker.
So if you do not get a ring or the breaker stays on, then you know it is not the receptacles or the switches. Now you know the short is after one of the switches and probably in one of your light fixtures. You can then go around and turn on each switch on until you get a ring. This will locate which lighting branch is shorting out and you have at least isolated the problem to a smaller area of the circuit.
If you do get a ring or the breaker trips off, you know the short is either before the switches or at one of the receptacles. Experience would tell me to check the receptacles first.
Shorts are easy to find since they are and arc flash and create a lot of heat. so there will be the smell of something burnt, melted wire, blackened residue and melted insulation.
Removing lamps form light fixture really doesn't help especially in fluorescent fixtures with ballasts and LED's with drivers. These ballasts and drivers use energy regardless if the lamps are plug in or not.
Isolating and locating where the problem is allows you to make better informed decisions on if its a simple fix you can handle or you need professional help.
FYI - since you have already turned the breaker on let it trip multiple times. It may be a good idea to change out the breaker. It is probably not operating within allowable tolerances (laymen terms the contacts are burnt and the bi-metal trip material is damaged).
Good luck