Why is my microwave tripping my circuit breaker? Microwave ovens began to make way in to American homes around the 1970s, and depending on when your home was built, you might not have a dedicated circuit to your microwave. As you add more appliances and other items that pull more power your circuit may become overloaded, going above the 80% capacity that your circuit breaker is rated for. When this happens, your appliances, such as your microwave, will begin tripping your breaker.
Reasons why your microwave is tripping your circuit breaker
Too many items and/or appliances are plugged in to outlets on the same circuit, causing that circuit to overload or be over the 80% capacity.
The microwave could possibly be defective causing the circuit breaker to trip.
Your circuit breaker could be damaged, need to be replaced, or simply failing.
Investigate the Problem by Troubleshooting
Identify what is plugged in to that circuit. You can do this by turning off the breaker and see what outlets do not work when that circuit breaker is turned off. Do you have a lot of appliances that plugged in to outlets on this circuit such as a coffee machine, blender, toaster oven, juicer, etc? Try unplugging the appliances on this circuit, then turn your circuit breaker back on to see if it is still tripping. Did that resolve your issue? Great!
But what about all your other appliances that you now have unplugged? In order to resolve this issue, you will want to call a licensed electrician to add a dedicated circuit to your microwave so you can continue to use all your other appliances. SHEWORKS Electrical 602-920-4257 will be happy to add additional circuits to your home so you can continue using all your appliances without an inconvenience.
Did unplugging your other appliances not resolve the problem? You may have a GFCI breaker that needs to be replaced. At SHEWORKS Electrical, we can inspect your breaker to determine whether it is functioning properly, or if it is compromised and needs to be replaced.