Last Updated on July 25, 2022 by Kevin Chen
You have a mountain of laundry that has to be finished right away. When the clothes are ready to go into the dryer, you take them out of the washer, place them inside, shut the door, turn the dryer on, and BAM! There has been a circuit breaker thrown.
As a result, you proceed to the breaker box, turn the breaker, and then return to the dryer. When you restart the dryer, the same thing occurs once more. You’re prepared to rip out your hair! You require these outfits! Why is your dryer suddenly tripping your circuit breaker?
While the dryer might be at fault, you must first carefully examine the circuit breaker. They do deteriorate over time, which makes individuals trip more frequently. Several parts inside the dryer can cause the circuit breaker to trip repeatedly after it has been examined.
Continue reading to discover six distinct possible causes, how to detect them, and what to do about them if you’re ready to learn more about why your dryer always trip’s your circuit breaker and how to fix the issue.
Most Common Reasons for dryer breaker tripping
Bad Dryer Motor
You might want to check the internal workings of your dryer first before looking into your circuitry for why the breaker tripped. If your dryer trips the breaker after ten minutes of use, the motor might be broken.
Disconnect the dryer’s power supply. Take the motor apart, then use a multimeter to check for continuity. The motor must be changed if there is a short.
Examining the bearings is another way to inspect the motor. The bearings I’ve mentioned here are the internal components that guarantee the proper operation of your machine’s motors. Therefore, their significance in ensuring that your device operates appropriately cannot be overstated.
Your bearings may clog up dust due to frequent use, preventing the motor from operating at its average speed. Due to the dryer using more current, your dryer may trip a breaker.
Faulty Circuit Breakers
If the clothes dryer keeps tripping the circuit breaker, there may be a problem with the circuit breaker itself. Circuit breakers are designed to trip in an emergency to protect an electrical circuit from being overloaded or short-circuited.
If you short an electrical circuit or overload it, it could result in a fire or other types of harm to your property. Circuit breakers are used to limit the amount of electricity drawn during regular operations to avoid situations like these. If a circuit breaker is defective, it will continue to trip because it cannot manage the typical demand for electrical current.
It is possible for a circuit breaker that is 15 to 20 years old to become weak and trip, which could result in a shortage of electrical supply. Because your home is getting on in years, you should probably consider upgrading the circuit breaker.
Changing out a circuit breaker is a simple process. But before you do it on your own, you should make sure you consult a professional electrician. Although your circuit breakers might be available at a hardware store nearby, it is advised not to take any chances with the electricity because they pose a significant risk.
Heating Element
Next, the heating element should be examined to see if the circuit breaker is functioning correctly. This component heats the air that flows through the dryer’s drum. If the heating element is broken, it can short out the housing and cause the dryer to trip the breaker.
By checking for continuity with a multimeter, you may determine whether the heating element is functioning correctly (or not). To begin, switch off the dryer’s power. To access the part, pull it away from the wall or cabinet and remove the panels. The heating element’s placement is described in your owner’s manual.
Once you’ve found the heating element, check the continuity of each terminal with the multimeter. If there is continuity, a new heating element needs to be installed. If the dryer’s heating element passes the continuity test, move on to the next section for inspection.
Terminal Block
If your dryer is electric-powered, a terminal block will have several cords. These wires might arc if they ever degrade or get slack. If this happens, the terminal block may get damaged, leading to the wires shorting against the dryer and tripping the circuit breaker.
Even though this doesn’t happen commonly, if you’ve examined all the parts above and your dryer is still tripping the circuit breaker, you should check the terminal block.
You must first find the component to inspect the state of your terminal block. Examine the wires to see if any seem loose. Tighten them if they do. Next, observe the cables to determine whether they appear to be arcing. If they do, swap them out.
After completing these steps, you can turn on your dryer to determine if it trips the circuit breaker once more. If you’re encountering problems, continue to the following potential issue.
Loose Electrical Connections
The outlet may have a loose connection. It can’t transfer current effectively when the connection is loose. This indicates that the loose connection may be causing the dryer to use more energy than it should and that the dryer may not receive the proper amount of power. Your dryer keeps tripping the circuit breaker as a result of this, causing the circuit breaker to blow.
For repairing a damaged electrical outlet, the electrician’s abilities are best. Other solutions exist, but you must exercise extreme caution.
Bad Bearings
The dryer’s motor bearings may eventually suffer if grime or dirt buildup continues. This may occur due to regular wear and tear or poor maintenance. The motor uses more electricity as it starts to turn against the higher resistance. This has the potential to trip the circuit breaker repeatedly, so it’s crucial to take care of any issues now.
Conclusion
By the time you’ve finished reading this, you should have figured out why your dryer keeps tripping the circuit breaker in your house. It will most likely be one of the six factors mentioned above. If it’s not, you should get further help from a professional for whatever reason because there might be a more significant underlying explanation for what you’re going through right now.
We hope you’ll read some of our other troubleshooting articles when you encounter appliance issues. Thank you for reading, and we sincerely hope that we were able to assist you in finding a solution.
For more details on how to prevent your breaker from tripping or purchasing of quality breaker for your electrical components, contact us at ICRFQ. We manufacture the best electrical components in China.
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