What causes circuit breakers to trip when a sump pump turns on?
Question:I took the base apart and found a small stone blocking the impeller. i thought that was causing the breaker to trip. I plugged the pump back on. As soon as the float hits the on position, the breaker trip again. I would like to save my sump pump if i could.
Answers:
Other than a defective circuit breaker, there are only 2 things that will cause a circuit breaker to trip and open the circuit. First is an excessive amp draw in the cicuit. Second is a short to a ground. Since the pump was working fine before the rock was removed from a locked up impellar, and is now tripping the breaker when the pump is starting operation, I would say you have a bad winding in the pump motor or a loose wire that is shorting to a ground. Better know what you are doing with this. If you don't you can kill yourself.
Assuming that after you removed the small stone from the impeller, that the pump motor would then spin freely, then you may be able to replace the circuit breaker with a slightly higher amperage rating. For instance, if there was a 15 Amp breaker feeding the sump pump before, try it with a 20 Amp breaker. If that works, fine.if not, then the problem lies elsewhere, such as a short or grounded circuit due to either overheating prior to the fix, or water damage, etc. Good luck.
The circuit is obviously overloaded. Try plugging the pump into another outlet or adding another circuit to your board and dedicating it to the pump.
If this pump did work in the same outlet with the same breaker before and now it no longer works then the problem has to be in the pump "Unless" something else was added to that breaker causing the overload.
You could turn off the breaker to see what goes out. Go around and turn it all off then turn the breaker back on. Now try the pump if it still trips the breaker then it is not the breaker circuit it is with the pump itself.
Every time a breaker trips, it shortens the life of the breaker. If your sump worked fine up till this point, you can try replacing the breaker, (cheaper than a pump). But, DO NOT put a larger breaker in its place! (Unless by odd chance the wire was over sized when it was installed) If the wire is 14 guage you may only use a 15 amp breaker, if it is 12 guage you may use a 20 amp breaker. If you don't feel confidant doing this yourself PLEASE call an electrician to do it for you.(cheaper than an unfortunate hospital bill).
ARE YOU BEING CAREFUL?
reckon you might have a short
if a rock stopped the impeller,,maybe a wire got hot and broke,,
hope it is grounded
can you take it apart and look for burnt or broke wires
DONT increase the breaker size
I *** u me this is in water,,,and water and electricity dont mix good
dont be overly concerned about safety,after all we are talking about is your LIFE
if all else fails find an electrician
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