A 1,500-watt appliance on a circuit it shares with the toaster. A dedicated circuit ends it.
Three causes cover almost every call we get for this.
Microwave plus toaster plus coffee maker on one circuit. Together they pass 20 A.
A 15 A circuit feeding a built-in microwave. Wire and breaker sized for it is the fix.
A transformer drawing too much, or a breaker that trips below its rating. We measure.
Takes a minute, costs nothing, fixes it more often than you would think.
Run the microwave with everything else on that circuit off. If it holds, it is a shared-circuit problem.
Still happening? That's our job.
Fitting a bigger breaker removes the protection on the wire.
Online or by phone. A technician reaches out within 1 business hour.
Traced to the box or device it lives in. Exact price before any work, you approve it first.
Right parts, tested under load, next connection checked so it does not come back.
A microwave that trips the breaker is almost always drawing its 12 to 15 amps on a circuit it shares with other kitchen loads, or on a 15-amp circuit that cannot handle it alongside anything else. Occasionally the microwave itself is failing and drawing more than it should, or the breaker has weakened. Kitchens are required to have dedicated 20-amp circuits for exactly this reason; running one for the microwave is a half-day job and the trips stop for good.
Yes, and we include it. L&I inspects new circuits in Washington.
Most kitchen dedicated circuits are a half-day job.
Exact price after we see the panel and the run, before any work starts.
Usually within a day or two. A technician reaches out within 1 business hour.
Licensed electricians across South King and Pierce County. Exact price before any work starts.