Electrical outlet causing 15a breaker to trip.?

The power comes from the breaker to this outlet, and from there, to another outlet (or several) somewhere. So the problem is in this second outlet or beyond, or something plugged into it, or to the wire itself.

edit:

"power is lost in a large section of the mobile home" those are the other outlets served by that same breaker.

The 15 amp breaker is most probably doing its job. So would suggest its a problem with either the cable after the first outlet or some of the other outlets on the line or most commonly something plugged into one of these out lets.

First note where the power is lost when no outlet is hooked up... these are the appliances supplied from this outlet... disconnect all these appliances... then rehook up the outlet and see if the breaker trips.

If it doesnt trip then it is one of the appliances that is faulty, simply connect the appliances 1 at a time and turn on and see which trips the breaker to find the faulty appliance.

If the breaker trips when no appliances are turned on then it is either an outlet or the wires itself, i would visually inspect the wiring for signs of wear, dampness, corrosion, loose wires (with power off) if you see obvious signs of any replace the outlet. If you dont its cheaper and safer to get an electrician than buy a meter to trace the fault

If it doesn

You need a Continuity Tester

http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/catalog/servlet/Se...

This may NOT find your problem, but it is where to start.

1) Identify the Hot and Neutral wires that come from breaker to the box. Are they live? If so, it is likely the problem is not between the box and the breaker. But, just to test and be sure: Turn the breaker off and connect the continuity tester to the hot and neutral. Does it light up or give a reading? If so, you have a short between the box and the breaker. If not, there may be a short in the other cable.

1A) If you get continuity between box and breaker, leave the breaker off and test every outlet that is hot when the breaker is on.

2) Test the other cable for continuity. If the meter does NOT light up or give a reading, it is likely the breaker is bad. If it does light up or give a reading, you have a short down stream of the box. Test every outlet, down stream. From the location where you get light or a reading you can deduce where the short is. Sounds like power jumps from box to box. If so, you will need to disconnect wires and test one section at a time.

There is a short somewhere in the wiring. you may try switching that breaker with another 15 A breaker in the box. if that one keeps tripping it is the breaker. If the new breaker trips it is the circuit.

The breakers just snap in. You may be able to borrow one from a neighbor to check it?

Does the local HW store have a 15 A which will fit?

You have a deed short somewhere in the circuit. You can ohm the white & black wire. To do this, disconnect the wires from the breaker and plug. If the ohm meter shows a reading with one lead to white and one lead to black, there is a short between the wires. Or one lead to white and one to ground, if you get a reading the wire is shorted, same for the black wire.