I have a house where the circuit breaker has tripped a few time over the last several days.
It flipped one evening, we flipped it back and was ok for a couple days. We went away for the weekend and sometime over that time it flipped again. Since we have been back it flipped again.
Other facts:
- Fridge is old (10 years)
- It is has been hot here (approx 100 deg during the day)
My first thought was it was the breaker\house electrical but then doing a couple quick searches a lot of posts mention the fridge itself.
What should be looked at first, the breaker\house electrical or the refrigerator itself?
If fridge what should be looked at?
Best Answer
The simplest, cheapest, and fastest test would be to swap the wire into the fridge breaker with another one of the same rating. (Turn off both breakers first.) This would test if the breaker has "de-rated" itself. That sometimes happens as they age. If the swapped arrangement doesn't trip, replace the (original) refrigerator breaker.
The next easiest step is probably to measure the current used by the circuit. The easiest place to do that is in the breaker box with a clamp on current meter. This would reveal whether the refrigerator is consuming more power than it is rated for—if you compare the reading with the ratings plate on the fridge. If it is too high, first make sure someone hasn't violated the prime rule of a fridge circuit: it should be the only device on the circuit.