Turning on lamp trips circuit breaker

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  • Oblongada
    New Member
    • Jan 2006
    • 6

    #1

    Turning on lamp trips circuit breaker

    When I turn on the lamp connected to one particular wall socket it trips the circuit breaker. My house is only one year old so I really don't think it's due to age. I thought it could be the lamp but I switched to a different lamp for that particular socket and though it worked well for a few weeks it is now back to tripping the circuit breaker. Any ideas on what it could be and how I can fix the problem? Thanks for any advice you can give.
    Regards.
  • Snoonyb
    Handyman
    • Sep 2004
    • 127

    #2
    Receptacles generally do not exist as "stand alone", so identify the several others controlled by this breaker and try your lamp/s there. If the tripping is not replicated, there are a couple of possibilities.
    Check the wiring of the offending recep., the wiring may be bruised and shorting together or to ground.
    Another is that there may be a staple nailed to tightly or having bruised the romex. The first staple away from the recep, box will be within 12" of that box.
    Illegitimas non-carborundum

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    • HayZee518
      Deity

      • Jul 2004
      • 8746

      #3
      how many watts is the light bulb? do you have access to a clamp around ammeter? just thinking that the load on that circuit may be borderlined for the breaker.

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      • Oblongada
        New Member
        • Jan 2006
        • 6

        #4
        26W Flourescent

        This seems to be the only outlet that is causing difficulties. All the others connected to the breaker are working perfectly. I unscrewed the outlet out of the wall and discovered that the black wire was about 1/8 inch out of the receptacle. I pushed it in fully and it seems to work fine now.....hopefully that was the reason behind the failure.

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        • HayZee518
          Deity

          • Jul 2004
          • 8746

          #5
          OK it appears that - that was the problem. I have no idea other than speed why contractors are still using quick wire receptacles. They are a pain in the you know what especially when they are used to continue the neutral to other parts of circuits.

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