When you purchase and install a furnace, you expect a long service life and the utmost indoor comfort. That said, your furnace may malfunction, causing the circuit breaker to trip. When this happens, it renders your furnace inoperable, leaving your household vulnerable to the dangers of cold weather. Therefore, you must employ professional heating services to assess your unit and remedy the faulty components to prevent future malfunctions. The following are the causes of the furnace tripping the circuit breaker.

An Overworked Furnace

The filters may clog over time with debris, impeding airflow and resulting in a heating unit that struggles to draw sufficient air for heating. Additionally, blocked air vents may cause a pressure imbalance in the system, causing duct joints to disengage and leak air. As a result, your system will strain to maintain comfortable temperatures, pulling more electrical current. This triggers the circuit breaker, causing the furnace to shut down to prevent damage. Thus, you should replace your air filters regularly and clear obstructions near vents for proper airflow.

Ground Faults Inside the Furnace

A furnace will sustain age-related deterioration, causing the electrical components to wear out. Note that once the wiring deteriorates, the live wires will contact a neutral one and cause a short circuit. Similarly, critters can eat through the wire insulation, leading to a hot wire encountering a ground wire. This creates more electrical resistance, causing the ambient temperature to elevate. As a result, the circuit breaker will trip and hinder your heating appliance from operating. Thus, ensure a heating repair contractor replaces the worn components to prevent electrical malfunctions.

Capacitor Problems

Your furnace capacitor provides start-up power for the motors to operate. Unfortunately, the capacitors may degrade due to prolonged exposure to heat. On the other hand, you may experience capacitor failure from power fluctuations in the electric grid. Consequently, a faulty capacitor may cause a short circuit, tripping the circuit breaker. Therefore, you should replace defective capacitors for seamless operation.

An Overloaded Circuit

If your circuit breaker keeps tripping despite resetting it, an overloaded circuit could be the culprit. This may result from plugging too many appliances into a single socket through extension cords. Consequently, when these devices run simultaneously, the circuit will draw more amps exceeding the circuit's rating. This causes the circuit breaker to trip and deactivates your heating appliance. Therefore, it is best to install the furnace directly to the power source and refrain from connecting several devices to a single electrical outlet.

You should refrain from resetting the circuit breaker if there is an underlying furnace malfunction. Instead, call a heating system repair service such as 72 DEGREES HVAC INC to see why your circuit breaker keeps tripping and restore proper unit operation.