My house is 3yrs old. I have a 15A breaker that keeps tripping. I have not put any additional load on the circuit. So far i have reset the main and changed out the breaker. I don't have anything plugged into any of the affected outlets and all switches are off. The breaker will trip immediately after reset. Any ideas on what the problem is or how to go about fixing it? Thanks for any insight
You have developed a short somewhere. I would start at the outlet and switches closest to the panel on that circuit. Pull them out looking for ground wires that may be touching the screws. Look for broken receptacles too.
What I would do is remove the hot wire from the breaker and the neutral from the neutral bar, then use a meter to see if the short was from hot to neutral or from hot to ground. (Just a bit more information for finding the problem.)
Then if there was an attic where the wires were run or a basement, I would follow the wire looking for any junction boxes/problems. Or use my knowledge of construction as to which outlet/light the wire would go to first. Then disconnect the wire there and see which direction the problem went (using a meter).
Then if the problem continued toward the other outlets, I would go half way and disconnect an outlet there and see which direction the problem was (using a meter).
Etc.
Eventually I would find that the problem was in a junction box or with a wire between point A and point B (maybe a nail in a wire). Then fix it.
So wire goes from breaker to points A, B, C, D, E, F, G, and H.
Check between breaker and A. Then between A and E, then if problem in direction of F, check G, etc.
P.S. If you get to outlet A and are not be able to tell which direction the wires are going, you can test the wire which does not have a short in it, then short hot and neutral in the panel, then test the wire again. If now shorted, then that is the wire going to the panel. If not, then the other wire is going to the panel, test to confirm.
Thanks for the help...started out simple and found the problem....somehow the ground ended up touching a hot wire in an outlet and ended up shorting it out...a little electrical tape and moving the wires was the fix....thanks again for the replies....
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