The GFCI protection is especially needed if the fan is installed near the shower, bathtub, or sink. It is this outlet’s breaker that trips in case of a ground fault. A bathroom fan may be hooked into a circuit containing a ground fault circuit interruption (GFCI) protected outlet. The most common cause of a tripping breaker for bathroom fans is either overloading the breaker or producing a ground fault. These problems are serious health and safety risks if overlooked. If you do notice the signs of a ground fault, you should seek professional help immediately. However, these faults can and will trip your breaker, though they usually trip the dedicated ground fault breaker built into the outlet first. Unless you installed or use the fan improperly, you should never come face to face with a ground fault using modern equipment. They cause the same overflows as shorts, but they are usually rare. They also happen when someone accidentally touches the hot wire, letting the current pass to the ground through their feet. They occur when a hot wire makes a direct connection to the outlet’s metal chassis or the actual ground. Ground faults are similar to shorts, but they are usually isolated to a single outlet. You may also see black or brown discoloration on: Fortunately, shorts mark their presence with a burning smell around the breaker and/or fan. If your fan has a short, you will find either faulty wiring or a loose connection. This condition can cause the circuit to overheat, tripping the breaker. It can happen anywhere along a circuit, and it allows a lot of current to pass through the circuit. Short CircuitsĪ short circuit, often abbreviated as a short, is when a “hot” or live wire comes in direct contact with a “neutral” or grounded wire. You can also turn off devices you do not need. You can then take an inventory of your appliances and devices so you can redistribute the load. If your fan trips your breaker, you can plug it into an outlet in another room to see if overloading is the issue. If not solved, it can overheat the circuit leading to fire risks and damage. For instance, your appliances draw 20 amps from a 15-amp outlet. Overloading just means that the line draws more electricity than available. As overloading is the most common reason for a breaker trip, you want to rule it out before anything else. While you can overload a circuit with multiple fans, you can do it with a single fan in conjunction with other appliances or faulty electronics. If your breaker constantly trips, you can check for these conditions so you can fix them. However, a single fan can trip a breaker under the right conditions. The shut off is automatic, though you must manually locate the breaker to reset it. The breaker will notice that the electricity flow is too high for it to handle and cut off to shut down the circuit safely. Overloading a breaker by running too many fans is just one way to trip it. While a single fan is usually OK, running several fans from the same outlet or circuit may consume enough power to trip the breaker. As such, separate breakers control different rooms, ensuring that if an appliance trips a breaker, it will not trip the entire house.Ī breaker will trip if any application faults the circuit, but there are a few especially fault-prone appliances. Most homes have several breakers that divide the building into separate circuits, typically located in a central electrical panel. You can just flip the switch back on to reset it. Unlike other electrical protection devices such as fuses, you don’t have to replace a tripped breaker. This tripping protects you and your family from electrical fires and other hazards. What Causes a Fan to Trip a Breaker?Ī circuit breaker is an automatic switch that turns off, or trips, in the presence of a dangerous electrical current or fault. ![]() Read this guide to understand these procedures and how to do them correctly. The possible malfunctions can vary based on the location and type of fan, but they all fall into a few basic categories. While the issues and solutions are similar, each type of fan requires a specific procedure to troubleshoot and repair. ![]() A malfunction causes a spike in the current flow, which the breaker detects and trips to protect the electrical system. The most common causes of a fan tripping the breaker are a circuit overload, short circuit, or ground fault surges. When a fan is tripping the breaker, it indicates an inbalance in the flow of electrical current.
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