20 amp breaker trips

[SpecialK]

The 20 amp breaker that protects ceiling can lights trips with increasing regularity. It takes a few tries to get it to reset. The can lights (led bulbs installed 2 years ago) are on older dimmers. They worked fine until recently. Should I start by replacing the breakers, the dimmers, or something else? Is there a good way to test this circuit for problems?

 

[pc1966]

You should be looking at testing the cables to see if there is a more serious fault such as damage by a rat or mechanical crush that might ultimately lead to a fire. Simple resetting the breaker each time is not a good policy!

You don't mention if it is simply an over-current breaker, or a RCBO (GFCI in USA parlance) as that would indicate something about the magnitude of a possible fault.

I would suggest you get a professional in to do an insulation resistance test of the cables and to systematically check and eliminate each light dimmer/fitting to establish what is going on. Replacing items without any testing is an expensive and risky approach to fault finding.

 

[Megawatt]

The 20 amp breaker that protects ceiling can lights trips with increasing regularity. It takes a few tries to get it to reset. The can lights (led bulbs installed 2 years ago) are on older dimmers. They worked fine until recently. Should I start by replacing the breakers, the dimmers, or something else? Is there a good way to test this circuit for problems?

The 20 amp breaker tripping is telling me that you are building up heat with your lights. You stated that when it trips it takes a while for the breaker to reset. The reason for that is the breaker is feeling the heat in the wire and until the wire cools off enough it will not reset. Number 1 is are the can lights compatible with your existing LED bulbs, number 2 is if your dimmers are that old then it would be a good idea to change them to Lutron dimmers. From what you stated I tend to think that circuit is overloaded. After you resetting your breaker to much eventually it will not reset anymore.

 

[pc1966]

Even allowing for 120V operation, 20A seems a lot for light to me, especially in today's LED world!

 

[Megawatt]

Even allowing for 120V operation, 20A seems a lot for light to me, especially in today's LED world!

Yes I agree my friend but electricians over here will put lights and receptacles on the same circuit. Somehow that particular circuit seems to be overloaded and tripping because he is pulling to much amperage and heating up the wire and That’s what I got out of his post.

 

[pc1966]

Yes I agree my friend but electricians over here will put lights and receptacles on the same circuit. Somehow that particular circuit seems to be overloaded and tripping because he is pulling to much amperage and heating up the wire and That’s what I got out of his post.

Ah - that is very different from UK practice. Here a light circuit will normally only have very small and fixed loads that are not lights, really the only examples I have seen are:

• Bathroom extractor fan (common)
• TV antenna amplifier in the loft (rare)
• Smoke alarms (common in new builds/rewire, but often they are battery/wireless on retrofits)

All are less than 100W. In many ways using the lights for the smoke alarms is probably to be encouraged as if a dedicated alarm circuit trips some folk won't notice or get it fixed, but lights off is usually not ignored!