# How do I stop tripping the circuit breaker.



## Darkleoco (Oct 2, 2011)

Whenever I go to turn on my computer I always have to make sure that the only things running are the monitor and then after I flip the power button on my psu I have to wait a good ten seconds to turn it on or without fail I will trip the circuit breaker for my room, it will also do this if I have left the computer off but still had the power to it on for half an hour, is this just something I am going to have to live with?


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## mastrdrver (Oct 2, 2011)

Good God man! How much crap do you have on one outlet?


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## Darkleoco (Oct 2, 2011)

Surge protector with only my modem and router, I can turn things on fine after the computer is on but when it starts up it tends to draw alot of power :/


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## blkhogan (Oct 2, 2011)

You shouldnt be drawing that much amperage. Not even close. A normal size breaker for rooms (bedrooms, bathrooms ect) is usually 15 to 20 amp. There has to be something else drawing from that curcuit, or the wire is loose at the breaker causing amperage to rise, or you have a weak breaker that needs to be replaced. Would maybe have an electrician take a look if possible.


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## Darkleoco (Oct 2, 2011)

An electrician taking a look isn't in the cards unfortunately but I don't see why it only does it on start up, after the computer is going I can turn on my tv, my ps3, my laptop, lights, ceiling fan, and the surround sound box for my Tritton headset which should be much more power?


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## cdawall (Oct 2, 2011)

could be a worn out breaker popping lower than its made for. swap it for a new one and see how that does.


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## Delta6326 (Oct 2, 2011)

it could be like my home it has crappy wiring, the garage and 1 bedroom and bath in the basement are on the same breaker, if you have lights on in the garage and in the bed room start a vacuum the breaker will pop.


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## Darkleoco (Oct 2, 2011)

cdawall said:


> could be a worn out breaker popping lower than its made for. swap it for a new one and see how that does.



If I swapped to a new breaker and still had the problem then it would be the wiring?


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## Batou1986 (Oct 2, 2011)

Sounds like an overloaded circuit to me what else is on it ?


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## dank1983man420 (Oct 2, 2011)

leaning towards bad breaker or posssibly underrated breaker.  Overloading the internal wiring(if wiring is at fault) would start a fire in the wall if anything.

How many amps is the breaker on the line  that controls your room ,garage, and bath?

Have you tried to move your computer and monitor to a different room on a different line to see if it still does it?  That could rule out a bunch of stuff if you try it and it works ok.


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## Darkleoco (Oct 2, 2011)

I haven't tried moving it yet since rolling my case down the hall would be a bit agravating but I might do it later, the breaker as a whole is 200 amps and this room with the hallway (just two lights that are off their) is only 15 amps.


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## dank1983man420 (Oct 2, 2011)

woops, thought someone else's post with what is on their breaker line was yours

15 should be ok if you are only having 1 room and a hallway on it. I've got 20 for 2 bedrooms and 1 hallway light. 
Come to think of it, I did have an outlet go bad on me once, maybe try a different outlet in the room to rule that out?


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## Darkleoco (Oct 2, 2011)

dank1983man420 said:


> woops, thought someone else's post with what is on their breaker line was yours
> 
> 15 should be ok if you are only having 1 room and a hallway on it. I've got 20 for 2 bedrooms and 1 hallway light.
> Come to think of it, I did have an outlet go bad on me once, maybe try a different outlet in the room to rule that out?



I'll try a different outlet and see if that solves any of my problems, would be nice if it was just a simple fix.


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## erocker (Oct 2, 2011)

cdawall said:


> could be a worn out breaker popping lower than its made for. swap it for a new one and see how that does.



I'm pretty certain your answer is this^^^ Replacing the breaker is a pretty simple fix. 




Darkleoco said:


> If I swapped to a new breaker and still had the problem then it would be the wiring?



Possibly, but it would really have to be some messed up wiring.


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## Darkleoco (Oct 2, 2011)

erocker said:


> I'm pretty certain your answer is this^^^ Replacing the breaker is a pretty simple fix.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



How much do new breakers go for though :/ and wouldn't an electrician need to install it or is changing the breaker simpler than I think?


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## m4gicfour (Oct 2, 2011)

A lot of circuit breakers work because they have a bimetallic strip inside (a strip made of two different kids of metal).  LNK When the breaker is overloaded, it heats up, the different metals expand at different rates, and the strip changes shape, opening the circuit. (sort of like going from a C shape to an I shape, or vice versa)

Because of that, after they've been popped a lot, they can REALLY lose their rating (the metal inside weakens) and they'll pop if there's a sudden surge of current. (like your computer starting up).

SO that's why I'd say #1 probability is a bad breaker. Assuming, of course, that your home doesn't have wonky wiring. I've seen a lot of older places where the home-owner has added onto the electrical system him/herself and there's a set of lights in an addition that are on the same circuit as the fridge plug, for example. My dad's house has the outside plug on the same circuit as the kitchen. My brother's trailer has kitchen lights on the same circuit as the plugs in the spare room, the lights in the addition on the same circut as the hallway, and the plugs in the addition on the same circuit as the bedroom. Of course, with a completely unlabeled panel box 

If at some point you CAN have an electrician come and trace your circuits, it could find out if that's a problem, but it'd likely be expensive, so that's a last resort.

#2 bad wiring, #3 is probably bad receptacle or bad contact between the receptacle and plug, or loose wiring on the receptacle.

I'm not an electrician, either, so take my advice with some salt.



Darkleoco said:


> How much do new breakers go for though :/ and wouldn't an electrician need to install it or is changing the breaker simpler than I think?



$5-$10 for a standard 15-amp. Don't buy a larger breaker than what's originally in there, as the circuit will be wired to handle what the breaker is. No, strictly speaking, an electrician doesn't *need* to install it, but unless you know what you're doing, I'd REALLY suggest having him do it.

Also, What 95Viper just posted.


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## 95Viper (Oct 2, 2011)

Is there a GFCI on the circuit? As, I had one die and it would not trip any longer and it would trip the breaker (at the panel) when used.

If the house is a newer (2002+ depending on local requirements) build it could also have AFCI breaker and an arc (in a device or in the wiring/receptacles) could be tripping the AFCI breaker.

You might wanna, really, get an electrician (friend, co-worker, etc.) to take a look at the circuit for you.  A look now could save you from disaster in the future.
Or, at least, invest in a kill-a-watt or something and check out, if, it is a device you are plugging in drawing that much current.
Circuit overloads, poor/inadequate wiring, faulty wiring, etc. are nothing to play with.


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## silkstone (Oct 2, 2011)

Darkleoco said:


> How much do new breakers go for though :/ and wouldn't an electrician need to install it or is changing the breaker simpler than I think?



a UPS added to your comp may work.


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## Darkleoco (Oct 2, 2011)

This house was built in around 2004~2005 or so, I think I will try just getting a new breaker and see if that fixes the problem and if not well.... I'm just going to hope it does.


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## 95Viper (Oct 2, 2011)

silkstone said:


> a UPS added to your comp may work.



How is adding an additional load to a circuit or device, that could be, in trouble going to help?

EDIT:



Darkleoco said:


> This house was built in around 2004~2005 or so, I think I will try just getting a new breaker and see if that fixes the problem and if not well.... I'm just going to hope it does.



Get the right one and type; and, if, you don't fully understand what you are doing, don't do it... get help.

Turn off the main, one hand rule, and have someone to observe(from a distance)... DOUBLE/Triple check your every step... you won't , usually, get a second chance with electricity.
Even, if you are sure it is dead... test it!

Sorry, I take electrical work or near proximity work very seriously.


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## Wile E (Oct 2, 2011)

I would go new breaker first. It's easy to replace, and fairly cheap. Take the old one with you when you go to get the new one, and just show it to someone at Lowes/Home Depot/Ace/whatever. They'll point you in the right direction.

EDIT: Super easy: http://www.ehow.com/video_4992094_replace-circuit-breaker.html


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## Arctucas (Oct 2, 2011)

Let me see if I understand the situation:

You must turn off everything except your monitor, including turning off the PSU switch on the PSU itself? And after turning on the PSU switch, you need to wait to turn the PC on?


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## MilkyWay (Oct 2, 2011)

This might be a daft question but is a circuit breaker just a fuse box? I have just a big fuse box next to the electricity meter and gas meter.

As i was going to say replace the fuse in the circuit breaker that is really easy. WTF your systems are so needlessly complicated all i do is just turn off all the fuses and take out the one i want to replace and put the new one in no snapping wires back ect.

Mine is similar in design to this, just take it out and put the new fuse in.


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## Darkleoco (Oct 2, 2011)

Arctucas said:


> Let me see if I understand the situation:
> 
> You must turn off everything except your monitor, including turning off the PSU switch on the PSU itself? And after turning on the PSU switch, you need to wait to turn the PC on?



Pretty much thats the situation with it but once the PC is on I'm good to turn on anything else.


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## Arctucas (Oct 2, 2011)

Darkleoco said:


> Pretty much thats the situation with it but once the PC is on I'm good to turn on anything else.



I would like you to try something; do you have any power tools, such as a drill or circular saw, or maybe even a blow dryer?


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## lilhasselhoffer (Oct 2, 2011)

1) Circuit breakers replaced fuse boxes (in homes) in the late 70's and early 80's.  You won't see a modern house with a fuse box.

2) Replacing a breaker is easy.  As others have said, turn off the largest breaker (main line for the house).  Wait for several minutes until any remaining charges have leaked to ground.  Then pull old breaker, insert new breaker, turn system back on and test circuit.

3) What you are describing is transient surges in the system.  The PSU draws a large load initially to charge capacitors.  Once charged these capacitors take almost nothing to maintain.  The initial surge is tripping the system.  Cheapest solution is outlet (check to see if it is wired properly), breaker, electrician.

4) Label your circuit breaker box when you replace the circuit breaker.  What I mean is to reactivate the breakers one at a time, and map where the power comes back on.  This will help you determine which outlets belong to which breaker.  I've seen more than one bass ackwards wiring job where a bathroom and bedroom were on the same breaker.  The regs. might say one thing, but the inspectors generally have that good old boys network with local wiring firms.  I wish this were an exageration...

5) Faulty wiring is generally a problem on older houses.  That would be the most expensive, and last, place to look for a problem.


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## MilkyWay (Oct 2, 2011)

Yeah i guess people over here just still call them fuse boxes, after a bit of searching what people here call a fuse box is just a circuit breaker.


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## Kreij (Oct 2, 2011)

Not exactly Keiran. A fuse box (which contains 1 or more fuses) and a breaker box (which contains one or more circuit breakers) are the same thing. 
The only difference being that one contains fuses and the other circuit breakers. Circuit breakers replaced fuses in homes for obvious safety reasons.
At least that is the terminology in the US.

It is VERY common in US households to have multiple rooms fed by a single circuit. Remember that on a 15A/120V circuit you only get ~1800 watts and then *click* darkness.


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## Darkleoco (Oct 2, 2011)

lilhasselhoffer said:


> 1) Circuit breakers replaced fuse boxes (in homes) in the late 70's and early 80's.  You won't see a modern house with a fuse box.
> 
> 2) Replacing a breaker is easy.  As others have said, turn off the largest breaker (main line for the house).  Wait for several minutes until any remaining charges have leaked to ground.  Then pull old breaker, insert new breaker, turn system back on and test circuit.
> 
> ...



The breakers are already mapped to what area of the house they control, and hopefully I won't have to worry about wiring in a house built less than 9 years ago.


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## mastrdrver (Oct 2, 2011)

Darkleoco said:


> I haven't tried moving it yet since rolling my case down the hall would be a bit agravating but I might do it later, the breaker as a whole is 200 amps and this room with the hallway (just two lights that are off their) is only 15 amps.



Uhhh, 200 amps? Doesn't sound right for a room.


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## cdawall (Oct 2, 2011)

if the house was built to code then its not going to be wiring. seeing how it was built in 04-05 it should be otherwise the contractor that built it could be sitting on a huge lawsuit. more than likely the breaker is going bad. it takes all of half an hour to change one and they are cheap. when mine was doing this i went ahead and moved from a 20 to a 25A C/B that's not super recommended however the wiring and everything was all checked before hand and should be just fine.


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## Darkleoco (Oct 2, 2011)

mastrdrver said:


> Uhhh, 200 amps? Doesn't sound right for a room.



Sorry to seem rude but I don't think you read that clearly.


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## Kreij (Oct 2, 2011)

@Mastr : 200 Amps is the total sevice to the home. Very common in US.
My garage has 200A service, or house has 100A service (I think).

Oops, nope both house and garage have seperate 200A services lines.


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## Darkleoco (Oct 2, 2011)

cdawall said:


> if the house was built to code then its not going to be wiring. seeing how it was built in 04-05 it should be otherwise the contractor that built it could be sitting on a huge lawsuit. more than likely the breaker is going bad. it takes all of half an hour to change one and they are cheap. when mine was doing this i went ahead and moved from a 20 to a 25A C/B that's not super recommended however the wiring and everything was all checked before hand and should be just fine.



After building my computer spending  15-30 $ for a new breaker isn't really anything but I do think I will just keep the standard 15 amp breaker since hopefully I won't break 1800w even with a 1200w psu on my computer.


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## Kreij (Oct 2, 2011)

Definitely try the breaker first. Some breakers last for decades, others fail in a short time ... just like most electrical/electronic things.

If that does not work you can see how much current is being drawn through the circuit when your computer is off by getting your hands on an amp meter that just clips over the wires coming from the breaker. Easy to do ... nothing scary.


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## MilkyWay (Oct 2, 2011)

Kreij said:


> Not exactly Keiran. A fuse box (which contains 1 or more fuses) and a breaker box (which contains one or more circuit breakers) are the same thing.
> The only difference being that one contains fuses and the other circuit breakers. Circuit breakers replaced fuses in homes for obvious safety reasons.
> At least that is the terminology in the US.
> 
> It is VERY common in US households to have multiple rooms fed by a single circuit. Remember that on a 15A/120V circuit you only get ~1800 watts and then *click* darkness.



I had an old fashioned fuse box and when i moved in here that was one of the first things recommended by an old electrician friend to change. So now it is a new fangled white box which i am assuming is a circuit breaker because the fuses trip they dont blow they have switches on them. Most if not all houses in the UK are like this. I think people are calling circuit breakers fuses much like how someone calls mass weight or 

I dont have individual rooms allocated its more like spare, lights, lights, cooker, sockets, sockets, ring circuit first floor, 100A Mains switch, not in a particular order.

Sorry for hijacking the thread


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## Arctucas (Oct 2, 2011)

You could start replacing items, or you could try some troubleshooting first...


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## Wile E (Oct 2, 2011)

Arctucas said:


> You could start replacing items, or you could try some troubleshooting first...



The tools he would need to troubleshoot are more expensive than just replacing the breaker in the first place.


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## Kreij (Oct 2, 2011)

@Kieran
The "new fangled" white box is a breaker box (many times called a fuse box as it has been used for some many years prior to the transition to circuit breakers). The switches in it are circuit breakers. 

@Arctucas : I would not recommend that someone who has no, or limited, knowledge of electrical circuitry try to troubleshoot their home. Replacing a breaker is a simple thing.
If ground fault circuits or breakers were wired into the home wrong it's not something you want to screw with if you have no idea how they are supposed to be wired or what to do if they are wired incorrectly.


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## Arctucas (Oct 2, 2011)

Wile E said:


> The tools he would need to troubleshoot are more expensive than just replacing the breaker in the first place.



Not necessarily.


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## cdawall (Oct 2, 2011)

Arctucas said:


> You could start replacing items, or you could try some troubleshooting first...



Ok cool lets troubleshoot it then

C/B pops on PC start up (high initial load while charging caps etc.) does not pop under any other normal situation sounds like the C/B is bad.


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## Arctucas (Oct 2, 2011)

@Darklecco,

I am a certified electrician, and have been doing electrical work of of one kind or another since the mid-80s.

I will try to help you, if you wish.


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## Kreij (Oct 2, 2011)

cdawall said:


> Ok cool lets troubleshoot it then
> 
> C/B pops on PC start up (high initial load while charging caps etc.) does not pop under any other normal situation sounds like the C/B is bad.



Or the spike current draw on start-up is overloading a good C/B. In which case he needs to remove load from the circuit somehwere.

Either way, these are the two things you check first.



			
				Arctucas said:
			
		

> @Darklecco,
> 
> I am a certified electrician, and have been doing electrical work of of one kind or another since the mid-80s.
> 
> I will try to help you, if you wish.



Good deal! We've been just giving him simple advice on things to check.
If you have troubleshooting info for him that you think he can do easily and safely then by all means post it up !


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## Wile E (Oct 2, 2011)

Arctucas said:


> Not necessarily.



The breaker is less than $10. A cheapo DMM from walmart is $15.

Replacing the breaker is the better option for him, as opposed to buying diagnosis tools. If the breaker does not fix it, then you worry about further diagnosis. Stop looking at it like an electrician trying to make a living, and look at it like a home owner trying to save a few bucks.


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## Arctucas (Oct 2, 2011)

Wile E said:


> The breaker is less than $10. A cheapo DMM from walmart is $15.
> 
> Replacing the breaker is the better option for him, as opposed to buying diagnosis tools. If the breaker does not fix it, then you worry about further diagnosis. Stop looking at it like an electrician trying to make a living, and look at it like a home owner trying to save a few bucks.



Fine, I freely offer my help, and I get grief...

@Darklecco,

Good luck with you problem.


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## Wile E (Oct 2, 2011)

I'm not giving grief, just saying what's the cheapest option. If you do have a cheaper option, let us hear it.


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## Kreij (Oct 2, 2011)

Arctucas said:


> Fine, I freely offer my help, and I get grief...



Come on man, you know how TPU is ... post up some advice.
I'm always interested in hearing and learning from someone with knowledge and experience.


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## Darkleoco (Oct 2, 2011)

Arctucas said:


> Fine, I freely offer my help, and I get grief...
> 
> @Darklecco,
> 
> Good luck with you problem.



If you have any advice I would be glad to hear it, need something to do after I just failed at fixing my old PS3 :/


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## Derek12 (Oct 2, 2011)

I would look at the computer PSU too. May have some weird malfunctioning causing overload. I had similar issues with an old CRT TV which sometimes turning it on caused the breaker to kick off but in some case worked fine without any problems, but on standby was always OK. The problem was the TV and not the wiring, breaker.


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## Darkleoco (Oct 2, 2011)

Derek12 said:


> I would look at the computer PSU too. May have some weird malfunctioning causing overload. I had similar issues with an old CRT TV which sometimes turning it on caused the breaker to kick off but in some case worked fine without any problems, but on standby was always OK. The problem was the TV and not the wiring, breaker.



It's a brand new PSU so I doubt that would be the problem especially since it does fine once it is on and stays on with no issue for 12+ hours, I'm probably just going to do a Home Depot run sometime this week for a new breaker and if that doesn't work just call an electrician maybe.


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## Arctucas (Oct 2, 2011)

Darkleoco said:


> If you have any advice I would be glad to hear it, need something to do after I just failed at fixing my old PS3 :/



It may very well be the circuit breaker, as others have said, but why not isolate the problem for certain?

Can you verify that another equivalent load causes the breaker to trip? For example, as I asked you previously, do you have power tools or a blowdryer you can plug into that circuit?

Also, I would ask if the PSU (and everything else on the circuit) operates with no problem, (unless I misunderstood the procedure you are following) and the breaker only trips when you turn on the PSU power switch, why turn the PSU power switch off at all?


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## Derek12 (Oct 2, 2011)

Darkleoco said:


> It's a brand new PSU so I doubt that would be the problem especially since it does fine once it is on and stays on with no issue for 12+ hours, I'm probably just going to do a Home Depot run sometime this week for a new breaker and if that doesn't work just call an electrician maybe.



The TV I commented also worked fine indefinitely "when it wanted" but in other cases it caused the breaker to kick. I think you have a bad appliance like the PSU (even if it's new), or even the surge suppressor.

If you said when computer worked fine and you could turn on every appliance in you room without any problem then I would think the breaker is fine, maybe I am wrong and the problem was the breaker, 
but my experience was that with identical symptoms as yours.


*EDIT: the TV I am commenting WORKED FINE IN STANDBY, but when turning it on with the remote control kicked the breaker SOMETIMES, in other cases it WORKED fine the problem was the TV and not the breaker.  I think the same could apply to a computer. So I would try another things before touching the breaker, but anyone can do what they want.

I think Arctucas is totally right.*


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## Wile E (Oct 2, 2011)

Arctucas said:


> It may very well be the circuit breaker, as others have said, but why not isolate the problem for certain?
> 
> Can you verify that another equivalent load causes the breaker to trip? For example, as I asked you previously, do you have power tools or a blowdryer you can plug into that circuit?
> 
> Also, I would ask if the PSU (and everything else on the circuit) operates with no problem, (unless I misunderstood the procedure you are following) and the breaker only trips when you turn on the PSU power switch, why turn the PSU power switch off at all?



Fair enough. I bow to your superior knowledge on this topic.


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## Darkleoco (Oct 2, 2011)

Arctucas said:


> It may very well be the circuit breaker, as others have said, but why not isolate the problem for certain?
> 
> Can you verify that another equivalent load causes the breaker to trip? For example, as I asked you previously, do you have power tools or a blowdryer you can plug into that circuit?
> 
> Also, I would ask if the PSU (and everything else on the circuit) operates with no problem, (unless I misunderstood the procedure you are following) and the breaker only trips when you turn on the PSU power switch, why turn the PSU power switch off at all?



I do have an ancient blowdryer somewhere but no power tools at all, also it's not when I turn the PSU power switch on/off it's when I power on the system, if I have left it just in standby and turn on the system it will trip the breaker and also if I don't wait around 10 seconds after plugging it in before turning it on it will also trip it.


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## Arctucas (Oct 2, 2011)

Darkleoco said:


> I do have an ancient blowdryer somewhere but no power tools at all, also it's not when I turn the PSU power switch on/off it's when I power on the system, if I have left it just in standby and turn on the system it will trip the breaker and also if I don't wait around 10 seconds after plugging it in before turning it on it will also trip it.



I am still a bit confused.

The PSU is plugged into the receptacle, and the PSU power switch is on, correct?

You are not unplugging the PSU or turning off the PSU power switch at any time?


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## Darkleoco (Oct 2, 2011)

Arctucas said:


> I am still a bit confused.
> 
> The PSU is plugged into the receptacle, and the PSU power switch is on, correct?
> 
> You are not unplugging the PSU or turning off the PSU power switch at any time?



I am turning off the PSU power switch after I power down the computer, if I don't do that then then it has tripped the breaker on two separate occasions when trying to turn my computer back on. 

Procedure for powering on:
Plug power cable into surge protector.
Flip Power switch on PSU.
Wait 10 seconds.
Power on computer.
All good.

Procedure for turning off:
Shut down computer.
Flip PSU switch off.
Unplug from surge protector.

If I had done that earlier I would have made myself clearer I think, sorry.


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## Arctucas (Oct 2, 2011)

Darkleoco said:


> I am turning off the PSU power switch after I power down the computer, if I don't do that then then it has tripped the breaker on two separate occasions when trying to turn my computer back on.
> 
> Procedure for powering on:
> Plug power cable into surge protector.
> ...



No problem, I understand now.

Now, load the circuit with the blowdryer and see if it also trips the circuit breaker. Ideally, the blowdryer should be about 1000 Watts.

Plug it directly into the receptacle outlet, not the surge protector.


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## mastrdrver (Oct 2, 2011)

Darkleoco said:


> Sorry to seem rude but I don't think you read that clearly.



Very true. I missed the very end part.


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## Darkleoco (Oct 2, 2011)

Arctucas said:


> No problem, I understand now.
> 
> Now, load the circuit with the blowdryer and see if it also trips the circuit breaker. Ideally, the blowdryer should be about 1000 Watts.
> 
> Plug it directly into the receptacle outlet, not the surge protector.



That worked fine, and it says it is a 1600w blowdryer but it's also nearly 20 years old or more I think and doesn't really have much power to it so I'm not sure if that's a good test or not :/


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## Arctucas (Oct 2, 2011)

Darkleoco said:


> That worked fine, and it says it is a 1600w blowdryer but it's also nearly 20 years old or more I think and doesn't really have much power to it so I'm not sure if that's a good test or not :/



OK, so the blowdryer *did not* trip the circuit breaker?


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## Darkleoco (Oct 2, 2011)

Arctucas said:


> OK, so the blowdryer *did not* trip the circuit breaker?



Yeah the circuit breaker was fine with the blowdryer plugged in but I think it's only because it's a poor quality blowdryer since if im not mistaken this room should only be good for 1800w and I'm sure my computer is exceeding at least 400w and the blowdryer was supposed to be 1600w.


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## Arctucas (Oct 2, 2011)

Darkleoco said:


> Yeah the circuit breaker was fine with the blowdryer plugged in but I think it's only because it's a poor quality blowdryer since if im not mistaken this room should only be good for 1800w and I'm sure my computer is exceeding at least 400w and the blowdryer was supposed to be 1600w.



If the blowdryer was getting hot and was blowing air full force, I would guess it was loading the circuit considerably, enough for our purposes anyway.

Next, try plugging the PC directly into the receptacle, not the surge protector, and see if that trips the circuit breaker.


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## Darkleoco (Oct 2, 2011)

Arctucas said:


> If the blowdryer was getting hot and was blowing air full force, I would guess it was loading the circuit considerably, enough for our purposes anyway.
> 
> Next, try plugging the PC directly into the receptacle, not the surge protector, and see if that trips the circuit breaker.



Plugging the PC directly in was fine, it didn't trip the breaker and I also went and redid the blowdryer test to make sure it got hot and went full force, that also was fine and did not trip the breaker.


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## Arctucas (Oct 2, 2011)

OK, plugged directly into the receptacle, the circuit breaker does not trip, so maybe the surge protector is the problem?

What brand/model is it?


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## Darkleoco (Oct 2, 2011)

Arctucas said:


> OK, plugged directly into the receptacle, the circuit breaker does not trip, so maybe the surge protector is the problem?
> 
> What brand/model is it?



Philips SPP1189


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## Arctucas (Oct 2, 2011)

Darkleoco said:


> Philips SPP1189



Well, at least it is not a 'no-name', but if taking it out of the circuit means the breaker no longer trips, perhaps a replacement is in order.

I would try using the PC plugged directly into the receptacle for a couple of days, just to be sure, and if the breaker is not tripping, then I would consider a new surge protector.

Since the 1600 Watt blowdryer did not trip the circuit breaker, I believe the circuit breaker is OK.


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## Darkleoco (Oct 2, 2011)

Arctucas said:


> Well, at least it is not a 'no-name', but if taking it out of the circuit means the breaker no longer trips, perhaps a replacement is in order.
> 
> I would try using the PC plugged directly into the receptacle for a couple of days, just to be sure, and if the breaker is not tripping, then I would consider a new surge protector.
> 
> Since the 1600 Watt blowdryer did not trip the circuit breaker, I believe the circuit breaker is OK.



I have been needing a new surge protector anyway since my modem and router have odd shaped plugs that make certain outlets on the surge protector unusable anyway so I guess this works just fine for me, do you have any recommendations for a good surge protector?


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## Sinzia (Oct 2, 2011)

Darkleoco said:


> I have been needing a new surge protector anyway since my modem and router have odd shaped plugs that make certain outlets on the surge protector unusable anyway so I guess this works just fine for me, do you have any recommendations for a good surge protector?



if you can, get a decent UPS and skip the surge protector. UPS's will protect you better for over/under voltages and general oddities that can occur in power lines.


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## Darkleoco (Oct 2, 2011)

Sinzia said:


> if you can, get a decent UPS and skip the surge protector. UPS's will protect you better for over/under voltages and general oddities that can occur in power lines.



I might do that then since it sounds like a good idea to me.


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## Arctucas (Oct 2, 2011)

I am using an APC P11VT3.

However, there are several quality units available from reputable manufactures such as APC, Belkin, Tripplite, to name a few.

There is some debate as to whether surge protectors, also known TVSS (Transient Voltage Surge Suppressor) devices actually do anything to protect electrical equipment. It is up to you to decide if you need one or not.

I am also using an APC Back-UPS RS 1500VA.


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## Darkleoco (Oct 2, 2011)

Arctucas said:


> I am using an APC P11VT3.
> 
> However, there are several quality units available from reputable manufactures such as APC, Belkin, Tripplite, to name a few.
> 
> There is some debate as to whether surge protectors, also known TVSS (Transient Voltage Surge Suppressor) devices actually do anything to protect electrical equipment. It is up to you to decide if you need one or not.



Well that is certainly encouraging me to get a UPS since I don't want my electronics fried.


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## Arctucas (Oct 3, 2011)

Darkleoco said:


> Well that is certainly encouraging me to get a UPS since I don't want my electronics fried.



See my edited post^^^


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## Darkleoco (Oct 3, 2011)

Arctucas said:


> See my edited post^^^



If only the equivalent they recommend was 150 $ cheaper lol 199 $ for that thing is way out of my current price range after building my new system in mid September.


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## blkhogan (Oct 3, 2011)

Darkleoco said:


> If only the equivalent they recommend was 150 $ cheaper lol 199 $ for that thing is way out of my current price range after building my new system in mid September.



If you want to properly protect that new build in mid Sept. You might have to bite the bullet and get protection first. A new build is worthless if its burnt up.


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## stinger608 (Oct 3, 2011)

Arctucas said:


> Well, at least it is not a 'no-name', but if taking it out of the circuit means the breaker no longer trips, perhaps a replacement is in order.
> 
> I would try using the PC plugged directly into the receptacle for a couple of days, just to be sure, and if the breaker is not tripping, then I would consider a new surge protector.
> 
> Since the 1600 Watt blowdryer did not trip the circuit breaker, I believe the circuit breaker is OK.



 I just went through this exact issue about 6 months ago. After trouble shooting the problem as Arctucas has explained I did in fact find that the surge protector was this problem all along. About the only difference was that my system would be running just fine and all of a sudden the breaker would trip. I am running on a 20A breaker with the computer room and one hall light is all. 

As with many suggestions, I first figured it was the breaker. However before just running out and buying a Square D breaker for the main box I did in fact test the plug first. As with your scenario, everything was fine Bottom line; it was the surge protector. 

Change that and keep us posted


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## Darkleoco (Oct 3, 2011)

blkhogan said:


> If you want to properly protect that new build in mid Sept. You might have to bite the bullet and get protection first. A new build is worthless if its burnt up.



Properly protect the build I did in mid Sept* I already have it set up see my system specs  and I have a quality surge protector atm but I am going to get a UPS soon it seems.


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## cdawall (Oct 3, 2011)

before calling everything the surge protectors fault plug the pc/surge into another 15A circuit and see if it pops and check it without the surge as well.


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## Darkleoco (Oct 3, 2011)

cdawall said:


> before calling everything the surge protectors fault plug the pc/surge into another 15A circuit and see if it pops and check it without the surge as well.



I will be getting to that soon hopefully, currently trying to troubleshoot a stubborn hard drive before I reset my computer for the 5~10 time.


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## silkstone (Oct 3, 2011)

95Viper said:


> How is adding an additional load to a circuit or device, that could be, in trouble going to help?



The logic behind my thinking is that it is the spike in power that is causing the fuse box to flip. If a ups was added this might prevent the surge. The amount of load is not a problem as he stated that he can add more load once the pc was turned on, just that no devices could be running when he turned his pc on.


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## Arctucas (Oct 3, 2011)

Darkleoco said:


> I will be getting to that soon hopefully, currently trying to troubleshoot a stubborn hard drive before I reset my computer for the 5~10 time.



Is everything OK now, no more tripping circuit breaker?

Or is there another issue?


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## Darkleoco (Oct 3, 2011)

Arctucas said:


> Is everything OK now, no more tripping circuit breaker?
> 
> Or is there another issue?



I should be fine with the circuit breaker issue now, and other than that it turns out I had just been being rather clueless with my second hard drive.


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## westom (Oct 3, 2011)

Darkleoco said:


> ... but I think it's only because it's a poor quality blowdryer since if im not mistaken this room should only be good for 1800w and I'm sure my computer is exceeding at least 400w and the blowdryer was supposed to be 1600w.


If I read this right, the tripping circuit breaker is 15 amps (1800 watts).  That means a 15 amp breaker needs maybe 22 to 30 amps for 30 seconds to trip.  Or it needs 20 amps for 100 seconds to 6 minutes to trip.  Conventional breakers do not trip due to spikes such as a power supply power on.   Minor current increases can only trip a breaker (as described) if the circuit is already dangerously overloaded.

  How does an excessive ampere or two trip a breaker?  Existing current must be well above 15 amps.  I did not see where the breaker was defined by type or part numbers - essential facts.  Is it a conventional breaker?   To have your symptoms implies a tripping breaker is not.   What exactly is the breaker (which means hard facts such as part number)?  Currently, your conclusions (including a suspected defective power strip) imply a defect elsewhere.  Did not suggest a defective breaker. Did imply the breaker is not being tripped by excessive current.

  If a power strip is defective, then (for example) it also trips GFCIs in the kitchen or bathroom when some load (ie a few 100 watt light bulbs) are temporarily power cycled through that power strip and GFCI.


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