# Room circuit keeps breaking when trying to connect cable



## dxy987 (Aug 25, 2010)

hello everyone, 
I need help.. i just bought a 4 bedroom house that was built on 05'
When i try to connect my tv in the master bedroom my circuit breaks for the room. It only breaks when the cable wire from the wall touches the tv.
I notice in the main circuit box the master bedroom and bedroom 3 are both 15amp as like bedroom 1,2 are 20 amps..
any advise will help.. thank you..
p's, tv still works and works fine in bedroom 1,2.


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## SABL (Jul 4, 2008)

Not alarming, but a 20A breaker in a BR (other than the MBR) is odd IMO. Your house may have ArcFault breakers for all bedrooms... depending on local codes. Along with the reset lever there may be a small blue test button which will indicate it is an arcfault breaker. Sometimes these breakers become weak and trip the circuit when under load. 

Another thought is reversed polarity....is the plug on the TV polarised?? One spade will be larger (the neutral side) and the plug can only be inserted one way. When polarity is reversed the current travels through the grounded side of the device before energizing the unit....the circuit is complete but going in the wrong direction. The cable may be adding an extra ground that intercepts the power coming in to the TV and causing the tripped condition. From the symptoms described and the fact that the TV works in other rooms, I would suspect reversed polarity.... a loose neutral would mean no power or intermitent power and not a tripped breaker. An electrician can quickly determine if a mistake has been made in your wiring....a simple inexpensive circuit tester (sold at most home improvement centers) wiil indicate if the circuit has been wired correctly. You just plug it into the outlet and read the pattern of the lights. 

Have you tried the TV in a different outlet in the master BR or in BR 3?? Also, have someone confirm that 12ga (or larger) wire has been used on BRs 1&2.....if the wire is 14ga it MUST be a 15A breaker.


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## dxy987 (Aug 25, 2010)

I will check on that, thank you for your response. 
But the BR only triggers when i try to connect the cable from the wall ----> to the tv, then the BR goes off for the whole room. That being said the tv works fine with just being plug into the outlet. 
Its only when i connect to cable from the wall to the tv then the BR shuts off.


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## SABL (Jul 4, 2008)

You should be losing power in both bedrooms. Try a different outlet in the Master Bedroom and see what happens. Even if the TV works in a different outlet does not mean the problem has been solved. A simple misconnection anywhere "upstream" can cause all following "downstream" devices to have reversed polarity. 



> But the BR only triggers when i try to connect the cable from the wall


This is why I suspect reversed polarity. Only one wire going to the outlet will be powered and it must be connected to the correct terminal of that device. AC electricity can travel both directions in your TV and it will still function. The correct way is to power the switch on the device being used and direct the current through the components and exit through the neutral/ground....where the neutral/ground will be bonded together when you only have two prongs on the cord. Bringing the power in through the neutral (reversed polarity) will still work......until you connect the cable. The cable has a grounded shield that is intercepting the power before it has a chance to go through the components (dead short). I will even go as far to speculate that you do have arcfault breakers.....or you would have caused quite a light show when attempting to connect the cable. 

I just checked Lowes and they have a simple circuit tester for less than $5....










They also have an $8 model that tests the GFCI (Ground Fault Circuit Interupter) and looks pretty much the same. Very simple device and easy to use....the "codes" are shown on the label for quick reference. You can do a little checking on your own before calling an electrician.....or requesting further assistance.


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## dxy987 (Aug 25, 2010)

Thank you,
I'll give it a try and i'll let you know what the out come was..


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