Its annoying when for no apparent reason a Circuit Breaker trips.
Without getting too technical here it is in a nut shell.
A circuit breaker – is designed to monitor over current. This Breaker will not have a test button on it.
A Safety Switch – is designed to monitor total current through the 2 wires to the outlets and if they are not within 0.03 of 1amp ( or 30 Ma ) difference the switch will trip. Physical size has no real bearing on its ability to trip or its capacity. This breaker will have a test button.
When the difference occurs its a leakage to earth or via your body to earth – it will trip. This is why it is called a safety switch.
Problems usually occur in heating equipment like Dryers, Kettles and Dishwashers. Sometimes these appliances can be leaking a tiny amount and that’s when the addition of the appliances on the circuit can cause nuisance trips. Please call us if your Breaker or Safety Switch trips randomly or continuously as we can test your appliances and make changes to the switchboard to reduce the chances of it happening again.
You can download this handy Flow chart to help solve the issue. Safety switch flow chart