Replaced breaker but still trips...

Rogy31

I wired a couple lights and replaced 5 outlets 2 years ago and the breaker tripped a
Few days ago. I replaced it and it still trips. There are nothing
Plugged into the outlets. As far as I can tell there is
5 outlets and 2 lights on the line. Everything is off and it
Still trips. It worked fine for 2 years.... Do I take out all the plugs
And check them ? Any advice ? Thx

sirsparksalot

Yep, on the plugs.

Sounds like a loose wire inside one of the receptacles. Any chance you placed the wires in the back of each receptacle? That's a common spot for wires (usually the white neutrals) to come out. If you find any, place them around the terminal screws.

Keep the breaker OFF while you're doing this.

MisterZ

Agree, also check any junction points. many DIY'ers dont properly secure splices.
some may argue simply twisting a wire nut is fine... true, if installed properly.
i prefer to use linesmans pliers to pre-twis any splices, then use the correct wire nut.

another common problem are "back-stab" outlets. they do not provide a secure enough connection.
use the screw terminals, and loop the wire around them clock-wise

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al_smelter

A simply loose connection will not usually trip an unloaded breaker. A loose connection will get hot and fail with a load applied, but it sounds like you have an actual short somewhere in your circuit (wire has come clear out of a splice and grounded, or wires have melted or burned together, or you have a load on the circuit that you have forgotten about and it has become defective, or etc...).

What the guys above said rings true. Splices in junction boxes (if you have them) are a good starting point. This is also a good place to split the circuit for troubleshooting. Light fixtures and receptacle boxes next. And I too do not like back stabbed 50 cent receptacles, UL listed or not. They have a propensity to fail over time.

When you find an issue (and you will), clear it and re-try the circuit before you put everything back together... just in case one issue caused another that you didn't find yet. It's also a good exercise to re-check your entire project, since you know much more now (hopefully about everything) than you did two years ago.

busman

Why would he/she know more now than 2 years ago. Does time automatically give you more knowledge?

Mark

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al_smelter

Yes, normally time will make you more knowledgeable, especially if you have a propensity to learn from your projects and/or mistakes. That's why wise men are old. They have learned from life experiences.

Don't give people too much credit do you?

busman

Well, I took a half year a French in intermediate school, and I damn sure know a lot less French now than I did 30 years ago. The OP didn't say they had been doing ANYTHING electrical in the interim. You just assumed he gained some knowledge in that period.

I give people credit for what they've done, not what I guess they've done.

Mark

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Commonwealth of Virginia

Billy_Bob

Hot light bulbs can melt the insulation on wiring. So what kind of "lights" and what are you using to switch them on/off?

Did you use a higher wattage bulb than the fixture label said to use?