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Why Does My Oven Keep Tripping The Electric?
The circuit breaker in your home will trip when too much electricity flows through it – or when it can’t handle the excess current load. This results in the electricity flow being cut off so that it prevents overheating or any further damage.
Any electrical appliance can trip the circuit breaker. And you’ll need to isolate the problem before it can be resolved. If you determine that the electricity keeps tripping every time you use the oven then you’ve found the culprit! Why does my oven keep tripping the electric? Read on…
Understanding Wirework
The types of wiring in your property are the:
- Live wire – the main power wire
- Neutral wire – the return wire
- Ground wire – the safe return wire
Power goes through the live electric cooker wire and comes back through the neutral one – flowing through the ground system if there’s a problem with the appliance. Short circuits occur when a link is made between the oven and the live and neutral wires – making the electricity flow freely back to the neutral wire and shorting the circuit.
Problems Related to Your Electric System
When your oven keeps tripping the breaker there could be an issue with the circuit. There may be several appliances connected to the same circuit as the oven – in this case, the circuit may need to be upgraded by an electrician to increase the capacity. Alternatively, other appliances can be added to a different, separate circuit.
The current will be measured using an ammeter to confirm the need for an upgrade. Your qualified electrician will also check for any damage to the wiring, and the circuit breaker itself. If the oven wire is impaired the reading recorded on the ammeter will identify this problem, and the power plug and socket will be checked for faults.
Oven Component Issues
Problems with the oven components can also cause an electric trip. Components that are the common cause when your electric keeps tripping include:
- Selector switches
- Terminal blocks
- Safety thermostats and thermostats
- Fans
- Internal lamps
- Elements
- Clocks
This is connected to the wire distribution module which sends different connections to other components of the oven. If these wires become loose, they can come into direct contact with the neutral terminal causing the trip.
If these are wired up incorrectly and aren’t positioned to work with UK electric oven wiring requirements, then the oven will trip on connection or during use. Installers can often set up the links wrongly and you’ll need an experienced engineer to put this right for you. Terminal blocks can also burn out, scorch, or degrade with age and fail.
You can check if the thermostats are working properly by using an oven thermometer place the thermometer in the oven and set the appliance to the highest temperature. If the thermostat is working the temperatures will match. If there’s an issue you’ll need an experienced technician to carry out repairs or install replacements.
If the fan motor is faulty this could certainly be the culprit for your constant tripping. Mechanical problems cause the fan to run slowly – or make a high-pitched sound caused by loose blades. A life to earth fault on the fan oven element will cause the electric to trip.
The light bulb within your oven is able to withstand high temperatures – but with time and usage, the bulb may blow. As it does it can cause a connection of internal wiring that results in the oven short-circuiting and the breaker tripping.
Elements can be tested with an electrical meter to determine whether they’re faulty. If the heating element becomes faulty or breaks the current will flow through into the main body of the oven – short-circuiting the oven and tripping the circuit breaker. Burn marks on the element indicate that it needs to be professionally replaced.
A faulty clock can cause the oven to trip as soon as the power is switched on. This is a remote possibility but needs to be checked out if all other components have been eliminated.
Get Electrical Repairs at Any Time
Using a trusted 24-hour emergency electrician will ensure you get a swift diagnosis and a quick, safe fix of any electrical faults you’re experiencing. The technician that comes to your property will be fully qualified and experienced. If your oven is the reason your circuit breaker keeps tripping the specific fault soon be identified and the problem fixed.