Why does the breaker keep tripping after power failures

Many devices will draw a slightly larger load at startup, especially if there are motors involved (ie. fridge/freezer compressors). But even computers will draw more at startup due to all of the devices initializing.

Likely you are very close to the max capacity of that breaker, and on startup you are exceeding it hence why it trips.

The way to resolve this is to move loads to other circuits, or have an additional circuit installed.

A tripping breaker is either faulty, undersized for the load, or trying to save your life.

• If it's faulty, then you can replace it with a new one and the problem will go away. If you're unfamiliar working inside of a breaker panel, then I recommend getting a professional for this.

• If it's undersized, you need to move some load onto a different (possibly new) circuit. The breaker is sized the the wires in the wall, so you can't upgrade the breaker without replacing the wiring. With only 4 70 watt bulbs, that's under 3 amps, well within capacity of a 20 amp breaker, so unlikely to be your problem.

• And if it's trying to save your life, there's a fault in the circuit and you should stop resetting the breaker. The fix is to correct the fault. From the sounds of it, you could have a short in the circuit, perhaps water getting into the lines or a bad junction. Either way, electricity in that situation is dangerous and needs to be corrected.