We recently bought a home with a defective ceiling fan (stuck in reverse), so I bought and installed a new one. The switches were kid of old and ugly so I replaced those as well. (1) switch for the fan and light and (1) switch for the can lights.
With the new switches installed and still hanging out of the wall, everything works seamlessly, but as soon as I push the switches into the switch box it trips the breaker. There doesn't appear to be any loose or frayed wires, and I have a good solid ground. Wired in exactly how I took it apart (one wire at a time).
Best Answer
Pushing your switches back into the box is causing something to short together - your screws, grounds, or any exposed wire sticking out of backstabs (of which there should be none).
Are you getting intense arc flashes? If you look closely at your screws, grounds, and any exposed wire sticking out of backstabs -- you will probably find arcing marks that will tell the tale.
If you are not getting arc flashes of any size, this part of the circuit may be protected by AFCI or GFCI.
To protect screws, wrap the switch or receptacle with electrical tape so the screws are covered.