4 Reasons Why Your Furnace is Tripping Your Circuit Breaker and How to Fix It

Tripped circuit breakers are frustrating and troublesome, especially if it seems like the furnace is the culprit. If your breaker gets thrown once and regular performance returns after you reset it, there is no immediate cause for concern. In this case, an unrelated power surge is typically the reason.

However, you can’t avoid the issue if the breaker flips over and over. This can happen with both electric and gas furnaces. After all, even gas-fired furnaces depend on electricity to power the blower motor and other components. Before you schedule furnace repair, review the most likely reasons your furnace might be throwing the circuit breaker and how you can prevent it.

1. Overloaded Furnace

Does your furnace run for just a few minutes before throwing the breaker? This might be a result of restricted airflow. A dirty filter or closed air vents require your furnace to work harder. The higher electrical draw can overload the system, strain the circuit and flip the breaker. Consider the following tips to restore proper airflow and fix the trouble:

• • Swap out the air filter.

• • Open all air registers and make certain none are restricted by furniture, curtains or rugs.

• • Don’t lean anything against the furnace or otherwise impede airflow into it.

2. Full Circuit

HVAC equipment does best on a lone circuit, but this might not happen in older houses. Check the labels on your electrical panel to find out if another appliance shares a circuit with your furnace. As a brief measure, you can unplug the secondary item or avoid operating it while the furnace is working. A wiser, more ongoing solution is to have an electrician put in a dedicated circuit for your HVAC system.

3. Short Circuit or Ground Fault

Does your furnace trigger the circuit breaker immediately upon startup? This could be a result of an electrical issue inside the furnace. An exposed wire may be shorting out the circuit when it reaches a neutral wire or leads to a ground fault if it comes into contact with a grounded wire or metal object. Either of these problems can surge the electrical draw enough to flip the circuit. You’ll do best with an HVAC professional like Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing to diagnose and repair the problem.

4. Electrical Panel Trouble

If you eliminate any malfunctions with your furnace, the electrical panel may be to blame. Lax connections or faulty breakers could lead to erratic performance. If you live in an older residence, you might need to have the panel replaced if it’s obsolete, damaged or incorrectly installed. In this situation, you need help from an electrician.

Your furnace may continue to trip the circuit breaker in spite of your efforts to resolve the issue yourself. If this happens, leave the furnace off and contact Service Experts Heating, Air Conditioning & Plumbing for help. Our HVAC Experts can help you find the problem and suggest the needed repair. We’re proud of our work, so we stand behind it with a 100% Satisfaction Guarantee for a year.* For more information about us, or to schedule furnace repair, give us a call at 866-397-3787 now.

*Not applicable to the Advantage Program. See your signed Advantage Program Agreement for full details and exclusions. 100% Satisfaction Guarantee is subject to certain restrictions and limitations as set forth in the applicable Terms and Conditions.