What trips gfci circuit breakers?

Answer by  thelostone (1457)

GFCI circuit breakers are tripped when too much power tries to go through the circuit breaker at one time. One thing is if you have a piece of equipment that is drawing more current the the GFCI is rated for. Another thing is a short in the equipment you are plugging in.

Answer by  Sparky101 (366)

GFCI circuit breakers open the circuit when there is a fault to ground and sense this fault through the neutral or grounded conductor. Any fault to ground will trip or open a GFCI. Checking for moisture or faulty wiring at all protected switches and receptacles is the first place in determining the cause.

Answer by  Liz59 (10966)

They will trip due to any mechanical problem. If for example, there is a lot of energy and wattage in the circuit, then the breaker will trip accordingly. It is common.

Answer by  Amber40 (24961)

Ground fault circuits are designed to trip when a problem is experience. Typically this is due to some type of short in the wiring or something similar. It is designed to be safer than a normal breaker.

Answer by  miken (46)

GFCI breakers are tripped when the amount of electricity flowing out of the breaker is less than the amount flowing back into it. In other words, they trip when there is a "leak" in the line. This "leak" of electricity is what could kill you.