Diagnosing a Tripped Circuit Breaker

Finding the cause can make these ‘easy’ service calls a bit tricky

Have you ever come across a system that has tripped its circuit breaker and thought, “Great,
a nice, easy service call. I’ll just need to reset the breaker and be on my way.”

Well, it rarely turns out to be that simple. You always have to ask yourself, “What caused
the circuit breaker to trip?” Rarely, if ever, is it just a random or nuisance trip. Something
caused the circuit breaker to trip. So that easy service call likely becomes a little more
complex. The cause of the problem can be a little difficult to determine, and that easy
service call can become a little more complex.

Generally, a circuit breaker will trip due to either a circuit shorted to ground or an
overloaded circuit. If the circuit breaker trips as soon as the breaker is reset or when the
system is turned on, the likely cause is a grounded circuit. If the system runs for a period of
time and then trips, the cause is likely an overloaded circuit. However, the opposite
scenario can also apply. A grounded circuit can trip the breaker after the system has run for
a period of time, and an overloaded circuit can cause the breaker to trip quickly.

A shorted circuit generally results from an electrical conductor, such as a wire or winding
inside a motor, touching ground. This is generally easy to determine, but at times, can be a
little tricky. The first step in finding this type of problem is to do a very detailed
examination of all the electrical connections and wiring. Look for any darkened or burnt
areas around all of the electrical components and wiring. Be sure to open all the
components’ cover plates, such as the compressor terminal box or any temperature or
pressures switches. If this is the problem, you will normally find it during this visual
inspection.

If the short is within a component, such as the winding of a motor, you will need to get out
an ohmmeter and test each load to determine which one is grounded. There are several
different ways to find the grounded load, but perhaps the best method is to test each load
independently. This means electrically disconnecting the load and testing each electrical
connection to the frame of the motor with an ohmmeter.

An overloaded circuit is one that draws current in excess of the circuit design limits.
Finding this problem may be simple, but, at times, it can be frustrating if the overload does
not occur while you are examining the system. Normally, the first step in discovering this
problem is to measure the amperage draw of the circuit and confirm it is overloaded. This is
done by comparing the measured amperage to the circuit breaker trip value and the current
limits of the equipment. You need to measure the current draw of each load to see which
one is causing the overload. On refrigeration systems, you generally will find the
compressor is the cause, but as with all troubleshooting procedures, you need to verify this
is accurate.
Recently, I was working on a dairy cooler for a supermarket that had been tripping the
condensing unit’s circuit breaker. At first, it happened occasionally — maybe every two
weeks — and the dairy manager just kept resetting the breaker and not informing the
owners of the issue, which is not a good idea. Then, it started happening daily, so he told
the owners, and they called us in to solve the problem.

First, I examined all of the electrical controls and wiring. Initially, I didn’t find any
darkened or discolored wires or terminals, but I have to admit I did not do a great initial
investigation. While I was examining the wiring, the breaker tripped, so I reset it. It was a
three-phase system, so I measured the amperage of L1, L2, and L3. It was a 60-A circuit
breaker, and L1 was drawing about 58 A; L2, about 59 A; and L3, close to zero —
obviously not good values for the system.

What would cause such strange values? After pondering the problem for a while, I decided
to shut down the system and open the compressor cover plate to examine its terminals. As
soon as I removed the cover plate, the problem was easily observed. One of the compressor
terminals was much darker than the others, and when I tugged on the wire, it was very
loose. After retightening the connection, the problem was solved. The next day, I called the
dairy manager, and the case was still running and had not tripped the circuit breaker since I
had left. Problem solved.

Remember, circuit breakers usually trip for a reason. Taking a methodical approach to
determine the cause is the best way to provide a solution.