My Refrigerator Compressor Is Causing the Breaker to Trip

Wiring

• Inaccurate wiring from the circuit breaker to the refrigerator can sometimes cause the breaker to trip. If the wires from the breaker are partially or completely connected to the incorrect refrigerator terminal, then the power demand increases and the breaker trips as a safety measure. After the circuit breaker is switched to the “Off” position, an electrician needs to disconnect the wires from the terminals at the circuit breaker and at the refrigerator’s electrical panel and reconfigure them according to the refrigerator's installation instructions.

Amperage

• Certain wires and circuit breakers can handle only so much electricity. If the compressor kicks in and kicks the breaker, then the breaker might not be built to handle the amount of power needed to flow through it. The same goes for the wiring. If you suspect that the wires or the breaker can’t handle the amperage or power load that the refrigerator requires, you should turn off the breaker and call an electrician to switch out the wires and the circuit breaker.

Hot Wires

• Two hot wires touching will not only cause the refrigerator circuit breaker to trip, it could potentially spark a fire. Wires are usually covered in insulation to prevent them from touching each other or anything else. The wires are stripped of insulation to a small degree at the points where they connect to the circuit breaker and to the refrigerator. If the compressor kicks in and the refrigerator breaker trips, then there might be two wires touching at either at the connection points or because of wire damage. With the breaker turned off, all wires should be thoroughly examined for breaks or tears. If any bare wires are touching or damaged, they should be repaired or replaced.

Breaker

• If the breaker continues to trip, it’s possible that an improperly functioning or defective breaker was installed into the breaker box to handle the refrigerator’s electrical demand to begin with. If you’ve checked for everything that could possibly go wrong with the power supply, yet the breaker continues to trip every time the refrigerator compressor kicks in, then the problem could simply be a bad breaker. Instead of replacing a circuit breaker yourself, it’s safer to call an electrician for the job.