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Why does my circuit breaker keep tripping?

The short answer

A breaker that trips repeatedly is doing its job and reporting a fault. The three usual causes are an overloaded circuit, a faulty appliance, or a genuine wiring fault, and the third needs an electrician.

TradieAnswers editorial · written in-house and sourced to the authorities listed below

Checked against 4 published sources, listed in full at the end of this page. How we source this

A breaker is a safety device, not a nuisance. Every trip is it detecting something it was designed to detect. Resetting it repeatedly without finding out why is the equivalent of turning off a smoke alarm because it keeps beeping.

Narrow it down safely

  1. Note whether it is a circuit breaker or a safety switch. A safety switch has a test button and trips on current leaking to earth, which is a different and more serious signal than an overload.
  2. Unplug everything on the affected circuit, then reset.
  3. If it holds, plug items back in one at a time, waiting a few minutes between each. A faulty appliance usually reveals itself this way.
  4. If it trips immediately with nothing plugged in, stop. That is a wiring fault and it needs an electrician.

The common causes

  • Overload. Too much drawing power on one circuit, which is typical in older homes with few circuits and modern appliance loads. Heaters, kettles and air conditioners are the usual suspects.
  • A faulty appliance. Failing elements in kettles, toasters, washing machines and old fridges are extremely common.
  • Moisture. Water in an outdoor power point or a bathroom fitting will trip a safety switch, and often does so only after rain.
  • Damaged cable. Nails, screws, rodents and age. This is the one you cannot see and cannot fix yourself.
  • A failing breaker. They do wear out, though this is diagnosed last rather than first.

Everything in the narrowing-down list above is within homeowner scope because it only involves unplugging things and pressing a switch. Anything beyond that, including opening the switchboard, is licensed electrical work.

Who does this work

You need a licensed electrician

Because finding out why a circuit is tripping means testing the fixed wiring, and there is no householder exemption for that anywhere in Australia.

This is licensed work in every Australian state and territory. Check a licence in your state

Before you call anyone

  1. Note which breaker trips, what is written on it, and whether it is a breaker or the safety switch. They fail for different reasons and the electrician will ask.
  2. Work out whether it trips at a particular moment: when a specific appliance starts, when it rains, or at random. That pattern is most of the diagnosis.
  3. Unplug everything on that circuit, reset it once, then reconnect appliances one at a time. If it holds until one goes back in, you have found the appliance rather than a wiring fault.
  4. Do not keep resetting a breaker that trips straight back. It is protecting something, and repeatedly overriding it leaves the fault and removes the protection.

Related questions

Is it safe to keep resetting a tripping breaker?
Resetting once to see if it was a one-off is reasonable. Resetting repeatedly is not, because you are overriding a protective device without knowing what it detected.

Sources

Every source below was fetched and its response recorded on the date shown. Where a government site blocks automated clients, that is noted rather than reported as a successful check.

  1. Standards Australia · Standards AustraliaChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
  2. Energy Safe Victoria · Energy Safe VictoriaChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
  3. Electricians · NSW GovernmentChecked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK
  4. Building and Energy · Department of Energy, Mines, Industry Regulation and Safety (WA)Checked 2026-08-10 · responded 200 OK

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