On Wednesday, February 13, 2002 8:34:51 PM UTC-5, Miraclewhip wrote:
I live on the third floor of an old rooming house along with 18 other
tenants. I share one 15 amp circuit breaker with another tenant on the
second floor and it handles all of our wall plugs. It trips about once a
week to fortnight for, as much as my fellow tenant and I can figure out, no
reason whatsoever. This leaves he and I, the Manager and the Landlord
scratching our heads trying to figure out why it is tripping as it does not
seem to happen when one of us switch on a high-current appliance. I have
suggested to the Landlord that it could just be that the circuit breaker is
getting old and replacing it would be a good place to start in trying to
solve the problem but he scoffs at the idea.

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

If they do, could you suggest some URL's of related documents that I might
print to convince a doubting Landlord?

Would deeply appreciate some help!

They weaken with continued tripping and start tripping at lower loads. I would replace the breaker and see how it behaves from then. That might solve your problem. If the new one also starts tripping then it's likely you and your neighbor are plugging in too much.

On 2/18/2014 3:42 PM, jamesgang wrote:
On Wednesday, February 13, 2002 8:34:51 PM UTC-5, Miraclewhip wrote:
I live on the third floor of an old rooming house along with 18 other
tenants. I share one 15 amp circuit breaker with another tenant on the
second floor and it handles all of our wall plugs. It trips about once a
week to fortnight for, as much as my fellow tenant and I can figure out, no
reason whatsoever. This leaves he and I, the Manager and the Landlord
scratching our heads trying to figure out why it is tripping as it does not
seem to happen when one of us switch on a high-current appliance. I have
suggested to the Landlord that it could just be that the circuit breaker is
getting old and replacing it would be a good place to start in trying to
solve the problem but he scoffs at the idea.

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

If they do, could you suggest some URL's of related documents that I might
print to convince a doubting Landlord?

Would deeply appreciate some help!

They weaken with continued tripping and start tripping at lower
loads. I would replace the breaker and see how it behaves from then.
That might solve your problem. If the new one also starts tripping
then it's likely you and your neighbor are plugging in too much.

It's not tripping "for no reason whatever". It may be it has become
compromised but that wouldn't be my first supposition.

Have you made absolutely sure you're aware of all outlets on the
circuit--that it serves at least two apartments is a bad idea to start
with; I'd not rule out there being somewhere else it goes you're not
aware of unless you have exhaustively confirmed it.

Secondly, have you/the landlord/manager/somebody confirmed that the
breaker isn't warm and has anybody checked connections of all the
outlets on the circuit as well as those at the breaker itself?

Have all the outlets been checked for signs of overheating, etc.?

Has anybody made an exhaustive catalog of all the loads on the circuit
to confirm what the loading actually is (after the previous exercise of
locating all outlets for certain, of course)?

--

On 2/18/2014 4:05 PM, dpb wrote:
....

It's not tripping "for no reason whatever". It may be it has become
compromised but that wouldn't be my first supposition.
....

Actually, I'd forgotten it but I have had an instance where a breaker
did begin to trip after self-heating and it was the breaker itself that
was faulty...

In that case it was the A/C condenser disconnect rather than "just" a
15A, but don't see that it couldn't happen.

Again, check if it shows any signs of thermal heating after it has
tripped next time.

And, of course, they're inexpensive enough that might as well just try
to swap it out altho I'd still recommend the check for connections,
etc., mentioned earlier, it's only prudent when there's an issue.

--

dpb wrote:
On 2/18/2014 4:05 PM, dpb wrote:
...

It's not tripping "for no reason whatever". It may be it has become
compromised but that wouldn't be my first supposition.
...

Actually, I'd forgotten it but I have had an instance where a breaker did
begin to trip after self-heating and it was the breaker itself that was faulty...

In that case it was the A/C condenser disconnect rather than "just" a
15A, but don't see that it couldn't happen.

Again, check if it shows any signs of thermal heating after it has tripped next time.

And, of course, they're inexpensive enough that might as well just try to
swap it out altho I'd still recommend the check for connections, etc.,
mentioned earlier, it's only prudent when there's an issue.

--

I have, without a doubt, had breakers go bad. If I recall correctly it was
those slim-line breakers that were used in Crouse-Hinds panels a few years
back. Weren't they notorious for self-heating?

dpb wrote:
....
I have, without a doubt, had breakers go bad. If I recall correctly it was
those slim-line breakers that were used in Crouse-Hinds panels a few years
back. Weren't they notorious for self-heating?

No idea, never had any.

The one I mentioned is the only one I can ever recall behaving in such a
manner in my 50+ yrs. It was an old FPE of roughly 30-yr age at the
time it failed.

The only other breaker I ever recall replacing was one that got overly
hot because the feed wire screw wasn't set tightly enough and that
caused a local heating so I just replaced the breaker as well when fixed
the connection. Checked all the others in the panel at the time as well
as all grounds, of course...

So, I don't doubt it happens and given the numbers out there that there
are quite a few every day over the US but it surely isn't terribly
common in my experience so it's not what comes to mind firstly, certainly.

--

"dpb" wrote in message ...

stuff snipped

And, of course, they're inexpensive enough that might as well just try
to swap it out altho I'd still recommend the check for connections,
etc., mentioned earlier, it's only prudent when there's an issue.

Inexpensive if you know how to swap them. What would an electrician charge
a rooming house landlord to do it? And would the landlord do it based on
the available evidence? Would he let his tenant do it even if the tenant
knew how?

It's funny how cold, cold weather brings out space heaters, even in building
where they are specifically not allowed. (-: That would be my first
suspicion. Aside from a recording ammeter I don't know how you can
determine if the circuit is tripping below its rating if these events occur
at odd times.

--
Bobby G.