Step-by-Step Instructions for Replacing a
Circuit Breaker
By Mark J. Donovan
Occasionally a circuit breaker can
wear out and begin to trip easily, particularly if it has been frequently
overloaded and tripped frequently. When this situation has occurred it often
becomes necessary to replace the circuit breaker. You can either higher an
electrician to replace the circuit breaker or you can do it yourself. If you
prefer to do it yourself, it is important that you exercise extreme caution to
avoid a life threatening electrical shock.
The first step in replacing a circuit breaker is writing down the information on
the existing circuit breaker and finding its exact replacement.
It is important to always use the
same circuit breaker style, voltage and current rating. Installing the wrong
style or electrical rating circuit breaker could result in electrical fire or
electrical shock.
After finding the replacement circuit breaker, I recommend turning power off to
not only the individual circuit breaker you plan on replacing, but also to the
entire circuit breaker panel. You can turn off power to the main circuit breaker
panel by throwing the large circuit breaker switch at the top of the circuit
breaker box. Keep a flashlight handy if you anticipate being in the dark after
throwing the main circuit panel breaker.
After turning power off, remove the
circuit panel cover. Whether you’ve powered down just the circuit breaker, or
the entire circuit panel, proceed with extreme caution when pulling the circuit
panel cover away from the circuit panel box. There is live electricity
underneath the panel cover, so make sure you do not inadvertently tip the cover
into the panel box when pulling it away.
After removing the cover, carefully remove the wire from the nut on the circuit
breaker you plan to replace.
Gently move the wire to the side, and
make sure the end of it does not touch anything else in or around the circuit
panel box.
Now using your fingers, and preferably wearing a pair of leather gloves, pull
the circuit breaker away from the inner part of the panel, thus freeing it from
one of the main power buss bars. Note, if you only turned off power to the
specific circuit breaker, the buss bar is live with power. Never touch the buss
bar! Continue to pull the circuit breaker outward and toward the side of the
circuit breaker box to remove it entirely from the box.
With the old circuit breaker removed,
you can now install the new circuit breaker. Simply work in reverse. Place the
back of the new circuit breaker into the back holder clip and then push the
front half of the circuit breaker down over the buss bar tab until it snaps into
place.
Next, attach the wire onto the nut of the new circuit breaker.
Photo by Mark Donovan
Reattach the circuit panel cover back onto the circuit breaker box, again taking
extreme care not to tip the cover into the circuit breaker box.
Finally, turn on the circuit breaker. If you turned off power to the main
circuit breaker turn it on as well. And with that, you have completed the
process of replacing a circuit breaker.
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