Quote:
Originally posted by Caleb Fulton
Also...it had been running for a while (over 10 minutes)...would this change anything?
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http://www.eatel.net/~amptech/elecdisc/cirbrakr.htm
The 20 and 30 and 40Amp self-resetting breakers, which we're all familiar with, operate on the principle of a bi-metal strip. Current through conductors generates heat, which causes metals to expand. Using two metals which expand at different rates as a single conductor, you can physically make the combination strip bend because one side expands faster than the other. This physical bending causes the conductive strip to lose contact, and therefore no more electricity flows until it has properly cooled.
Prolonged use can cause large amounts of heat buildup, which makes breakers more prone to pop than a breaker which is at room temperature or below.
#include <disclaimer.h>
I'm not an engineer (of any kind), so if what I've said is obviously flawed, please point it out to me.
Thank you.