A furnace tripping the circuit breaker can be due to different reasons. This is nothing to worry about if happens rarely. When a circuit breaker is tripped, you’ll notice that the furnace has lost power. This is why the first thing to check before consulting furnace services is the circuit breaker because it can be tripped.

If your furnace is losing power frequently and the cause is a tripped circuit breaker, you should look into the causes and fix them so the furnace start working normally.

Overloaded Furnace

A common cause of a furnace tripping its breaker frequently is when too much stress is put on the furnace. Certain problems can make a furnace work harder to heat the house. During this, the furnace starts taking more electrical current than typical levels. Due to this abnormal functioning, the circuit breaker trips.

Your furnace is overloaded if you switch it on, it works for a few minutes, and then shuts off.

The major causes of an overloaded furnace are below:

  • Dirty or clogged air filter: A dirty or clogged air filter increases the amount of stress on a furnace because it has to work harder to regular the airflow. Therefore, check the furnace filter and clean or replace it.
  • Closed or blocked air ducts: Whether the supply vents are closed in some room or blocked due to no cleaning, it puts a similar kind of pressure that a clogged filter does. Check the air vents in all the rooms and parts of your house and make sure they are open. Moreover, clean the air ducts. Plus, check for other ductwork problems.
  • Faulty components: If a furnace component is malfunctioning and working correctly, the furnace will work harder to warm the house with the faulty part and can trip the circuit breaker.

Shared Circuit Breaker

If you have an older home, there are chances that your furnace is on a shared circuit breaker. Shared means that the breaker is responsible for providing electricity to the furnace and to many other appliances and lights in the home. When most of all the electrical items connected to the circuit breaker are being used, the circuit will be overloaded and it will trip.

To check if this is the reason, turn off all the appliances and lights in your home and run the furnace. If it doesn’t trip the circuit anymore, then the problem is a shared circuit.

Consult an electrician to connect the furnace to a circuit breaker that isn’t used for any other electrical item in the house.

Ground Fault Or Short Circuit In The Furnace

A furnace that turns off immediately after switching on – and trips the breaker – can have a short circuit or ground fault.

When an electrical short circuit or ground fault happens inside a furnace, it begins taking more electricity. In turn, the circuit breaker trips.

Short circuits and ground faults in furnaces are caused by malfunctioning components or a rat chewing a furnace wire. If you repaired your furnace recently and faced this problem after this, then it could be an incorrect repair by the technician.

Get your furnace repaired by an experienced professional to detect which wires are causing the problems and fix them.

Bad Blower Motor

Mostly, a malfunctioning blower motor seizes up. When this happens, it will trip the circuit breaker almost every time. You can check the blower motor for jamming but try to turn it with your hands. A jammed one won’t turn.

However, sometimes, a jammed blower motor spins fine if you try to do but it will cause the breaker to trip and the furnace to turn off. Therefore, an inspection from an expert is required so they can advise if you should replace the blower motor.

Circuit Breaker Problems

It’s possible that the problem lies in the circuit breaker and not your furnace. The circuit breaker or electrical panel in your house could be malfunctioning and tripping, turning off your furnace. An electrician can check the electrical panel and circuit to know if some wires require tightening, if the circuit breaker should be replaced, or if you should change the entire panel.

Conclusion

If your furnace keeps tripping the circuit breaker, check the air filters, air ducts, the blower motor, and the circuit breaker. To avoid issues, hire a furnace repair service Tyson’s Corner.