Electrical – One of the breaker switches buzzes when I flip it on, should I replace it

circuit breakerelectrical

I recently installed a ceiling fan in a bedroom, and when the fan is active the electromagnet was a little louder than I was use to, but figured it may just be a cheap fan.

However today when I went to label the correct breaker switch (for some reason the bed room one was only labeled living room), I noticed the room got quieter when I tested the breaker to ensure my memory was correct. Upon flipping the breaker back on the buzzing resumed. From there I verified that fan and light were set to off via the wall switch.

Is it normal for a circuit breaker with no load to buzz?

None of the other breakers in my box seem to be making noise.

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Best Answer

Buzzing breakers are not normal, but a common problem. The usual cause is an unseated magnet vibrating in the breaker. These magnets sometimes do not reseat into the correct position after tripping and resetting. This can cause the breaker to not lock into "on" position or hum under load. I am not sure if this trick will work on a AFCI breaker, but on regular breakers, we remove them and give them a firm slam on it's side. This sometimes jolts the magnet back into the correct position. You can then operate the breaker on and off a few times to confirm it is seated and operates freely. I have not experienced this sound with a AFCI yet. So the sound could be the magnet vibrating or a defective coil. When I attempted to reseat a magnet and it didn't correct after a couple of "slams", or the condition returned after a trip again, I replaced the breaker. Obviously there could be another problem and the breaker should be replaced, but the slam trick can be very effective.

The other test is to move the circuit feed to another breaker temporally to see if the hum returns on another breaker (not likely), thus confirming the problem is in the breaker.