On Wednesday, February 13, 2002 8:34:51 PM UTC-5, Miraclewhip wrote:

Question: Do circuit breakers eventually wear out with no cause other than
old age?


If a circuit breaker has springs in it (like most do), it is very possible that they may weaken over time.

Power factor may be another thing to consider. A device may say it is rated at 50 watts, but if its power factor rating is 50%, then it may cause as much as 100 volt amps to flow through your circuit breaker. CFL's, microwave ovens, and electric motors in refrigerator compressors typically have horrendously poor power factor ratings. Although power factor correction may reduce you volt amps, it wont reduce your true power (watts). Most consumers are billed on watts not volt amps, so don't buy into power factor correction to save your electric bill; but power factor correction could in some cases prevent a circuit breaker from tripping.

On Tue, 18 Feb 2014 11:35:56 -0800 (PST), wrote:

On Wednesday, February 13, 2002 8:34:51 PM UTC-5, Miraclewhip wrote:

Question: Do circuit breakers eventually wear out with no cause other than
old age?


If a circuit breaker has springs in it (like most do), it is very possible that they may weaken over time.

Power factor may be another thing to consider. A device may say it is rated at 50 watts, but if its power factor rating is 50%, then it may cause as much as 100 volt amps to flow through your circuit breaker. CFL's, microwave ovens, and electric motors in refrigerator compressors typically have horrendously poor power factor ratings. Although power factor correction may reduce you volt amps, it wont reduce your true power (watts). Most consumers are billed on watts not volt amps, so don't buy into power factor correction to save your electric bill; but power factor correction could in some cases prevent a circuit breaker from tripping.

One of these is the best way to find out for sure.
http://www.cpsc.gov/en/Recalls/2007/...-Shock-Hazard/

..

On 2/18/2014 4:01 PM, Metspitzer wrote:
On Tue, 18 Feb 2014 11:35:56 -0800 (PST), wrote:

On Wednesday, February 13, 2002 8:34:51 PM UTC-5, Miraclewhip wrote:

Twelve years ago? Hope there was answer by now!

--
..
Christopher A. Young
Learn about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

On Tue, 18 Feb 2014 11:35:56 -0800 (PST), wrote:

On Wednesday, February 13, 2002 8:34:51 PM UTC-5, Miraclewhip wrote:

Question: Do circuit breakers eventually wear out with no cause other than
old age?

Yes, and don't forget, it's 12 years older now than when you asked your
question.

I had a GFCI circuit breaker fail, It was about 5 years old. It
powered the receptacles in the bathrooms and by the kitchen sink. Not
sure about the washing machine. The previous owner of the house may
have use it for electric garden tools or kitchen appliances.

I never used it for anything more than 20 watts, but a year after I
bought the house it started tripping. I didn't give it LSD either.

After a year of this, tripping maybe 6 times, I bought a new one, and it
hasnt' tripped in the last 30 years, even with an electric lawn mower
running off of it. (And even btw, with an extension cord plugged
into it lying in the grass for the last 15 years, 12 months a year, dry,
wet, or with the rain falling on it. And lying under the snow for the
last 2 or 3 weeks. I just checked the breaker box and it hasn't
tripped.)


If a circuit breaker has springs in it (like most do), it is very possible that they may weaken over time.

Power factor may be another thing to consider. A device may say it is rated at 50 watts, but if its power factor rating is 50%, then it may cause as much as 100 volt amps to flow through your circuit breaker. CFL's, microwave ovens, and electric motors in refrigerator compressors typically have horrendously poor power factor ratings. Although power factor correction may reduce you volt amps, it wont reduce your true power (watts). Most consumers are billed on watts not volt amps, so don't buy into power factor correction to save your electric bill; but power factor correction could in some cases prevent a circuit breaker from tripping.

"micky" wrote in message

Yes, and don't forget, it's 12 years older now than when you asked your
question.

Good catch, Micky. It seems that fully half the posts are from trolls these
days.

What kind of idiot gets their kicks reviving messages a dozen years old?

--
Bobby G.


--
Bobby G.

Robert Green wrote:

Good catch, Micky. It seems that fully half the posts are from
trolls these days.

What kind of idiot gets their kicks reviving messages a dozen years
old?

There were thousands or maybe hundreds of thousands
of old posts regurgitated via Google Groups a month or
so ago. A glitch in the interwebx matrix... if you will. Most
people don't catch the timestamp.