Any electritians out there?

[SkylineGTR]

Obviously I have an electrical issue for the cicuit to my room. Keeps popping the breaker. Could the breajer switch to the bedroom be going bad?

I have been living here for 6 months now. Since move in date I have all the same outlets being used with the same stuff plugged into it. A total of 8 outlets in my bedroom. Outlet 1: Laptop charger and phone charger. Outlet 2: Cable amplifier for clearer cable picture and Samsung flatscreen. Outlet 3: Xbox 360 and Wii. Outlet 4: Air purifier and fan.

From June til November this is how my setup has been with no problems. Later in November I purchased a small room heater http://www.laskoproducts.com/heaters/model_5132.html

It worked fine for 2 weeks and then this is when the first time the breaker popped. So I go and I flip the switch and continue for a another day and it pops again. So I just moved the heater to a different room thinking it was that. But, I haven't had a problem in a different room.

Before the breaker popped, I smelled a strong fishy smell I'd say an hour before it happened each time? What does that mean?

I was good for a few days, but ever since the first time, it pops randomly. I could be in my room all day with everything going including lights and it wont do anything and then just pop for no reason. Nothing introduced into an outlet nor taken out of.

[CMonkey]

Intermittent problems are the hardest to troubleshoot....

That being said if you have all that on one circuit, including the heater, that is one helluva load. It very well could be a weakened breaker, they really aren't designed to trip numerous times and still maintain the rating on the breaker. All companies are different, some will tell you 10 times others a 100.

I would start off by replacing the breaker. Then seperate the loads out a little bit, don't run the air purifier, fan, and heater all on the same circuit. Check all the receptacles and make sure the connections are tight, the wires should be hooked on the screws, not stabbed in the back. Loose connections will cause the amp draw to go up.

Motor loads will cause an inrush spike, when they start. You may be on that fine line, that is causing the inrush to put you over the trip point of the breaker.

As far as the "fishy" smell goes, I don't know. I haven't ever smelled anything like that. Burning wires and devices have a sweet, burning plastic smell. Something that is arcing will sometimes have an ozone like smell to it. Maybe your air purifier's filter needs to be replaced or cleaned. Maybe you just need to remove the dead fish from under your bed.....lol

Hopefully, this will give you some ideas and starting points. It is hard to troubleshoot, sitting behind a keyboard, 1000's of miles away. Be very careful, when working with electricity, de-energize, if possible. Don't take any chances, it will kill you at the speed of light....

[DSM4Life]

Those small heaters draw a lot of power.

[BG]

You never know your bedroom circuit could feed out to another part of the house and as DSM said those heaters draw a lot of power. Circuit breakers are not only amperage sensitive but also heat, so it takes a day of contant draw to finally heat the breaker enough to where it trips.

As far as the fish smell thats your upper lip, take a shower and stay away from the whores you dirty fuc.

[SkylineGTR]

Thanks for the info!....I can understand the heater tripping the breaker when I had it plugged in, but afte the first 2 times it tripped, I moved it out of the room. So the past couple times it has tripped, the only things running the circuit was the tv and the lights. Nothing else. Maybe the heater weakened the circuit somehow? I will begin looking at all the outlets today and check the connections.

[BG]

Thanks for the info!....I can understand the heater tripping the breaker when I had it plugged in, but afte the first 2 times it tripped, I moved it out of the room. So the past couple times it has tripped, the only things running the circuit was the tv and the lights. Nothing else. Maybe the heater weakened the circuit somehow? I will begin looking at all the outlets today and check the connections.

I would start by replacing the breaker. If something was shorted out it would not reset, it would trip immediately.

[Bossman]

YOu've got too much on one breaker. It's probably a 15 or 20 amp breaker and that heater puts it at its limit on its own.

Once a breaker blows repeatedly, it's bad. The breaker needs to be replaced now. Don't put a larger capacity (over 20 amp) breaker in because the wiring will not support it. You'll have to run less on that circuit or install separate wiring for the heater alone on a dedicated breaker.

[SkylineGTR]

Lets say it is a 15 or 20 amp breaker....can I put a higher amp breaker in its place?

[BG]

Lets say it is a 15 or 20 amp breaker....can I put a higher amp breaker in its place?

No or the wiring will burn up and start a fire before the breaker trips. Very bad idea.

[SkylineGTR]

No or the wiring will burn up and start a fire before the breaker trips. Very bad idea.

haha....alright then! i have a lot in the room but i mean not all that stuff is plugged in and running at the same time....

like you guys said tho, I do believe I have a bad breaker. It tripped again the other day when all I had PLUGGED in was the tv. It was on all day and later that nights it tripped. I went and reset it and everything has been working fine since the other day.

[Bossman]

The breaker tripped because you were drawing too much current. If breakers trip several times, they often no longer hold their original rating and trip more easily. A new breaker will work, but it you overload it again, it will also go bad.

[SkylineGTR]

The breaker tripped because you were drawing too much current. If breakers trip several times, they often no longer hold their original rating and trip more easily. A new breaker will work, but it you overload it again, it will also go bad.

Ok....thanks for all the info!