We use solar power. One circuit appears to have become weather-sensitive. It works when the weather is warm, but conks out in the cold. What’s happening? Can I fix it?—Gerry Dust, via email
There are a number of issues that could be causing the problem, but Francois Byrne, the CEO of Hybrid Power Solutions in Etobicoke, Ont., thinks that an increase in power demand is the culprit. Multiple heat sources are probably plugged into the same circuit. “This typically happens with baseboard heating or with a plug-in space heater,” he says. “In winter, the heater draws a higher load than it draws in the summer.” Well, of course: if it’s cold outside, you’re going to want more heat. More heat uses more power. “You could have too many amps going through one breaker,” says Byrne. “So the breaker ‘pops,’ ” (a.k.a. trips).
This is fixable—but you’ll need an electrician. They could re-route a baseboard heater to a different circuit; they could add another circuit to the system to support the additional loads of winter power demands; or they could “beef up the circuit,” says Byrne. “If it’s a 15-amp circuit, they could upgrade it to a 20-amp circuit.” Simply turning off one heater isn’t a realistic long-term solution. “You don’t want to say, ‘Oh, we’ll just never touch that heater.’ ”
How to safely heat a cottage in winter
Another possibility is that you have a faulty breaker. If that’s the case, the fix is DIYable if you have some electrical knowledge, says Byrne. “Swapping out a breaker is easy enough.”
Until the issue is resolved—regardless of what’s causing the problem—“shut off the circuit for the time being,” says Byrne. An electrical malfunction could cause a fire. Dressing in layers is way safer.
Got a question for Cottage Q&A? Send it to answers@cottagelife.com.
This article was originally published in the Winter 2024 issue of Cottage Life.
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