The Short Circuit is a more serious reason for a breaker tripping. A short is caused when the hot wire (black) touches another hot wire or touches a neutral wire (white). It can also be caused if there is a break in a wire in the circuit. Shorts are a bit more difficult to diagnose because they can be caused by the wiring in your home or in something you have plugged into an outlet.
The Fix:
- Confirm that power is off at the outlet into which your device is plugged.
- Inspect your power cords for damage or a melted appearance.
- Check your outlets and plugs for the smell of burning or brown or black discoloration.
- Check the insulation on the wires to make sure it is not cracked and touching a black and white wire together.
- If you do not find the problem, repeat the process for all the outlets in the circuit.
- Check for a Ground Fault condition (see next section).
