Breaker keeps tripping: how to find the cause

A breaker that trips is doing its job.

The answer in 2 lines. A tripped breaker sits in the middle or OFF position. Note what was running when it tripped. If you smell burning, see scorch marks, hear buzzing, feel heat, or see water near the panel, don't touch it. Otherwise, with dry hands, unplug things on that circuit, push the breaker fully to OFF, then back to ON, once. If it trips again with nothing plugged in, the problem is in the wiring: call a licensed electrician. If it holds, plug things back one at a time to find the culprit.

The first 3 steps

With dry hands and no burning smell or water around, look at the panel and note which breaker tripped and what was running (space heater, microwave, hair dryer, washer).
Unplug the appliances on that circuit, push the breaker firmly to OFF, then back to ON.
If it holds, plug things back in one by one. The one that trips it is your suspect: leave it unplugged.

Stop: danger

Burning smell, scorch marks, buzzing, a hot panel or outlet, a missing panel cover, damaged wires: don't touch and don't reset. Smoke or flames: get out and call 911. Never use water on an electrical fire.
Panel, outlet or appliance wet: don't touch. Keep out of the water and call an electrician, or 911 if there's danger.
Never replace a breaker with a bigger one or tape it in the ON position: the breaker protects the wires from overheating.

What tripped, and what it usually means

A regular breaker (one circuit dark): often too many things on one circuit, like a space heater plus a microwave. Spread the load.
A GFCI outlet or breaker (outlet with TEST/RESET buttons, in kitchens, bathrooms, garages, outdoors): it detected current leaking, often from a wet or faulty appliance. Press RESET once things are dry.
An AFCI breaker (usually bedrooms and living areas in newer homes): it detected arcing, which can come from a damaged cord or a loose connection. Repeated AFCI trips deserve an electrician.
Main breaker (everything off): rare at home; call an electrician if it trips again.

What you can do yourself, and where to stop

Find the appliance by plugging back one at a time, then repair or replace it.
Spread heavy appliances across different circuits. A standard 15-amp, 120-volt circuit carries about 1,800 watts at most (15 × 120), and a space heater alone can use most of that.
Stop there: opening the panel, changing breakers and fixing wiring are jobs for a licensed electrician.

What not to do

Resetting again and again: repeated trips are a warning, not a nuisance.
Running a space heater or air conditioner on an extension cord or power strip.
Ignoring a breaker that feels warm or looks discolored.

Good to know

Press the TEST button on GFCI outlets once a month: power should cut, then come back when you press RESET. ESFI explains how to test AFCIs too.
Label your circuits on the panel door so you know what each breaker controls.
Renting? Electrical repairs are usually the landlord's job: tell them in writing.

In San Diego, Kevin's bedroom goes dark every time he runs a space heater and his gaming PC at once. He moves the heater to an outlet on a different circuit, plugged straight into the wall, and the breaker stops tripping.

A made-up story, for illustration.

Bobby

Sources, verification, confidence

Verified on October 18, 2026, for the United States. Confidence: high for the safety steps and what each device does; medium for the causes, which only an electrician can confirm on site. This guide describes common cases, not a diagnosis.