Circuit Breaker Troubleshooting

Are you trying to trouble shoot a circuit breaker problem? If so, read the following article for some useful tips.

Circuit Breaker Troubleshooting
Turn off the main breaker in the home's electric panel. Sometimes their are sub panels in larger homes, especially two story houses, so you need to make sure you have shut off the main 100-200 amp breaker to the whole house.
If you are a little more experienced, you can often find a breaker in the main panel, which controls the sub panel you are working in, and shut this breaker off. This can keep the rest of the home in service while you work in the sub panel. If you have any doubts about which breaker serves the sub panel you are working in, then shut down the main breaker.
Access the breakers. You will need to remove the inside breaker cover in the panel (or sub panel) to have access to the breakers. After you open the door to your electirc panel, the breaker cover is attached by a screw at the bottom of the panel. Remove this screw and set aside. Cover should move toward you when you remove the screw. Gently lift up and pull out and down in the same motion.
You will now have access to the breakers. REMEMBER that current is still live to the main breaker, when you are in the main entrance panel, so DO NOT put your hand or any metal tools in the area above the main breaker while you are working in the panel. Also, if you are in a sub-panel that has main breaker inside, follow this same safety rule.
With the main breaker off, test the circuit breaker you have the problem with using a test meter (ammeter). Position the test leads (there are two) -- one on the metal screw in the breaker, located below the breaker switch, and the other on the neutral bar inside the panel. The neutral bar will have all the "white" wires terminated in it. You should not read any voltage on the meter (be sure your meter is set to "voltage" and 250 volts when you test)....
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Author: Ron Ambler



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