How to Tell If a Breaker Is Tripped: Everything You Need to Know

If you’re not sure how to tell if a circuit breaker is tripped, you’re in the right place. If power to one area of your home goes out suddenly, it may be the result of a tripped breaker. 

Solving the problem could be as easy as checking if you tripped a breaker with all that power usage. If you find a tripped circuit breaker and reset it, you could be back to relaxing with your favorite snack in no time.

How Do I Find My Circuit Breakers?

Your home’s circuit breakers will be inside the electrical box, also called a circuit breaker box. The main power line entering your home will travel from your electric meter to the circuit breaker box. The box then safely distributes portions of the power to various areas of your home.

To find the breaker you need to check on, look for a thick metal box—it usually has a door on it with the breakers safely tucked behind. Electrical boxes often are olive green or gray. They usually mount to a wall in the basement, utility room, or garage.

The circuit breaker box has a dozen or more switches on it that look a bit like thick light switches. They’re usually black or off-white with a number printed on the end of the switch that indicates the number of amps the circuit breaker can handle. One side of the breaker has an “on” label and the other has an “off” label.

If you have subpanels, you may have more than one electrical box. Check all of your boxes for the tripped breaker.

What Does a Tripped Breaker Look Like?

All breakers that are functioning properly should be in the on position when you look at the box, but a tripped breaker will look a little different. The look will depend on the type of breakers in the electrical panel.

Some breakers display a red or orange tab when they trip. Others may simply go into the off position when tripped. Some move about halfway between the off and on positions and stop there.

If you’re struggling to find a tripped breaker, step back and look at the column or row of breakers as a whole. If one looks slightly different than the others, that’s likely the culprit of your interrupted popcorn.

Once you’ve established which breaker has tripped, you can then reset the circuit breaker yourself if you feel comfortable. To reset the breaker, switch it fully into the off position then flip it back to on.

What If I Cannot Find the Tripped Breaker?

Electrical boxes often have written labels next to each of the circuit breakers. These labels indicate the general area of the home that the breaker serves, like the living room or the garage. Certain breakers may only serve one large appliance, which makes it easy to fix a trip caused by your laundry center. 

When you know which appliance or area of the home is having the power outage from the suspected tripped breaker, you can use these labels to locate the correct breaker quickly. If your breakers are unlabeled and you cannot tell which one is the tripped breaker just by looking, you may want to call your local electrician. 

What If My Circuit Breaker Did Not Trip?

If you cannot find a tripped breaker and are comfortable continuing on your own, look for another issue. If you have ground-fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) outlets, one of these could trip, cutting off power to that outlet and potentially to nearby outlets.

Such outlets often appear in areas where moisture may be present, like a kitchen, bathroom, laundry room, or garage. If the power is not working in an area with GFCI outlets, look at the outlets for a popped reset button or a warning light. You then can press the GFCI’s reset button to restore power.

Why Does a Circuit Breaker Trip?

A tripped breaker acts as a safety measure. The tripped breaker stops sending electrical power to the area of your home that it serves, preventing a potentially dangerous electrical problem from worsening. 

A circuit breaker trips for any of several potential reasons, including:

• Too many appliances connected to the breaker running simultaneously

• Improper wiring issue causing a surge

• Short circuit on a wire

• Loose wiring

• Leakage of current

• Malfunctioning appliance

How to Untrip Your Circuit Breaker

To reset your circuit breaker after it’s tripped, follow these steps:

1. Turn off lights and unplug appliances associated with the tripped circuit breaker.

2. Locate the tripped breaker in the electrical panel.

3. Flip the breaker to the off position.

4. Wait for one minute.

5. Flip the breaker to the on position. 

6. If the breaker stays in the on position, power will be restored quickly.

7. If the breaker trips again, there is likely a larger electrical issue that will require assistance from a professional electrician.

When to Call an Electrician

If you don’t feel comfortable checking your electrical box for a tripped breaker, that’s perfectly understandable. Most people can reset a circuit breaker safely with almost no risk of shock, but some people simply don’t feel confident opening up the electrical panel.

You can call an electrician near you for help if you’ve tripped a breaker. If you have a breaker that trips regularly or won’t reset properly, an electrician can certainly help. The breaker could be failing or simply have too many appliances running from it. It’s smart to call an electrician to inspect the electrical panel and determine the best way to fix the issue.