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How do I check for a short circuit in my house?
My fuses keep blowing and my circuit breaker keeps tripping. I think it might be because of a short circuit somewhere. How can and check to see if there is a short circuit in my house’s wiring?
Patrick Price · Updated on
Reviewed by Shannon Martin, Licensed Insurance Agent.
It can be very frustrating when you have to keep replacing fuses and resetting your circuit breaker.
You’re right though, fuses that are repeatedly blowing and a circuit breaker that keeps tripping are indeed signs you should check for a short circuit in your house. If you have a multimeter, you can test your wiring to see if there is a short by checking both ends of each wire for power.
Here’s how you can check to see if you have a short circuit:
- Set your multimeter’s setting to continuity mode.
- Select the wire you think might have the short. If you’re not sure, think about when the blown fuses happen. What items are always plugged in and what outlets are they using. This should help you narrow it down.
- Place the negative (black) probe of the multimeter on one end of the wire and the positive (red) probe on the other.
- Listen for the beep. If your multimeter does not beep, it means that you do not have a short in that wire. If it does beep and if the multimeter reads less than 0.3 ohms, you probably have a short in that wire.
Depending on how your wiring got damaged, the cost of repairing could be covered by good
homeowners’ insurance
. Make sure you have all the coverage you need and that you’re not overpaying by using the free insurance comparison app Jerry
. View full answer
- Gregory R.
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