Intermittent electrical problems, such as lights flickering or going out in one area of a home may be due to a bad circuit breaker. Circuit breakers protect your home by turning power off if a circuit demands too much electricity. Anyone who ever plugged in too many appliances knows what a circuit breaker does. Modern circuit breakers plug into a bus bar, a metal strip in the electrical panel. The bus bar routes electricity from the main connection, through the circuit breaker, then into each circuit. While it may be scary to do, with the right precautions, circuit breakers are relatively easy to install.
Step 1
Have a flash light or other battery powered work light handy if it will be dark when the power is shut down.
Step 2
Shut down the power in the circuit breaker box by turning off the main breaker at the top of the electrical panel, or turn off the cut off switch outside near the electric meter.
Step 3
Open the circuit breaker box and remove the screws that hold the electrical panel in place. Put the screws in a safe place, and set the panel aside. Shut off all of the remaining breakers.
Step 4
Ensure that the new circuit breaker is rated the same as the old one, or properly rated for the new circuit.
Step 5
If you are replacing a defective circuit breaker, carefully push the circuit breaker back and forth to lever it away from the bus bar. Remove the circuit breaker from the bus bar. Loosen the screw on the side of the circuit breaker to release the wire attached to it. Keep track of the wire. Discard the defective circuit breaker.
Step 6
If you are wiring a new circuit, connect the bare copper ground wire in the new circuit to the ground bar. Strip the insulation from the ends of the black and white wires, and connect the white wire to the neutral bus.
Step 7
For both installations, loosen the screw in the new circuit breaker. Insert the end of the black wire into the new circuit breaker, and tighten the screw to hold it in place.
Step 8
Ensure that the new circuit breaker is turned off. Look for a little hook shape on the outer back edge of the circuit breaker. Insert the hook under the clip bar in the electrical panel, and snap the new circuit breaker into the same position if you are replacing an old one, or into a new slot, if you are wiring a new circuit.
Step 9
For a new circuit installation, remove the cover plate in the electrical panel for the new circuit breaker and label the new circuit. Screw the panel back in place.
Step 10
Turn the main breaker on first. Turn on each of the remaining circuit breakers, one at a time, until they are all in the on position. Check the lighting in the house to ensure that power is being delivered properly.
Things You'll Need
- Screwdriver
- Wire cutters
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