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- Your Circuit Breaker Box is Full — Now What?
- How to Install a Circuit Breaker: 14 Steps (with Pictures)
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If you need more or amp breakers, a simple solution is to install a tandem breaker. The overall size of a tandem circuit breaker is the same as that of a standard breaker, but instead of a single breaker, it has two narrow side-by-side breakers. You can buy tandem circuit breakers where both sides are amp breakers, both are amp breakers, or one side is 15 amps and the other side is 20 amps.
By removing a standard amp breaker and replacing it with a tandem unit that has two amp breakers, you immediately gain an extra circuit in the electrical panel. The wires from the original breaker are attached to one of the new breakers in the tandem, and the wires feeding your new circuit are attached to the second breaker. Installing a tandem breaker is a simple job that takes about 10 minutes. Installing a new circuit with boxes, cables, receptacles, switches, and light fixtures, however, takes a lot more time. Following is a step-by-step overview that shows what it takes to add a new circuit and connect it to the new breaker.
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First, figure out what lights, switches, and receptacles you want, then determine their approximate locations. If you are just adding a new lighting circuit to an unfinished space such as a basement, choosing a location will be much easier.
Make a shopping list of what you will need. Go to a home center, and run it by the clerks in the electrical department.
These people are usually well informed and can easily explain options you might not have considered. Mount the electrical boxes in the desired location and install the proper gauge electrical cable between these boxes. Install the new receptacles, light fixtures, switches, and cover plates. Turn off the main breaker at the top of the box, and then remove the panel cover by unscrewing a few large screws.
Use a voltage tester to be sure the power to the panel is off—touching electrically charged wires or bus bars inside the panel can be deadly. Then, as long as all your work occurs below the main breaker, you will not be exposed to any charged power in the panel box.
By turning off the main power, you cannot be shocked by any fixture in the house but you may need a flashlight since your electricity will be totally off. Select a standard breaker for replacement, preferably one at the bottom of the box, where removing the existing breaker and installing the new one will be easier. Remove the black wire from the existing breaker and pull the breaker out of the box by gripping it on the side where the wire was attached.
The breaker is held in the box by a lip on the bus bar. The bus bar runs down the middle of the back of the box and holds both columns of breakers. Touch 1 probe to ground the bar that has bare or green and white wires connected or neutral the bar that has just white or just bare or green wires connected and touch the other probe to the screw terminal of a circuit breaker that has a black, red, or blue insulated wire connected.
If or more volts is indicated, the panel is still being powered and will need to be turned off before proceeding. If the Service Disconnect or Main circuit breaker is in this panel, it will always indicate power on the terminals that have cables connected.
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The output of the Main or Service Disconnect when located in the panel, connects to the bus bar. The bus bar should have no power present when this breaker is OFF. Testing at the Service Disconnect or Main circuit breaker is not recommended due to this "seemingly conflicting" information. It is not safe to install a circuit breaker in an electrical panel that still has power flowing to it. Do not continue if power is present on a circuit breaker other than Service Disconnect or Main circuit breaker, until the power source has been shut off. Find an unused space next to or between existing circuit breakers.
The new circuit breaker you install will need to be placed next to a circuit breaker already in place.
Your Circuit Breaker Box is Full — Now What?
Carefully compare this location to the cover that was removed earlier to make sure it aligns with an unused location on the cover. Make sure you have the correct circuit breaker. The panel label will list all the approved types of circuit breakers that can be installed in the panel. For maximum safety, use only those circuit breakers that are allowed to be installed in the panel.
The breaker should be of an ampacity that does not exceed the circuit conductor's rating. This is typically 15 amps for 14 copper, 20 amps for 12 copper and 30 amps for 10 copper conductors or wires. Consult the code book to determine sizes for other circuits. The terminal size should be large enough for the wire to fit.
The need to remove strands of wire to fit the terminal is an indication of an error somewhere along the line. Set the circuit breaker handle to the OFF position. The circuit breaker has 3 possible positions: Push the handle towards the OFF position before installing the breaker to ensure your own safety during the installation process.
How to Install a Circuit Breaker: 14 Steps (with Pictures)
Align the circuit breaker with the bars in the panel. Once attached, pivot the circuit breaker on the mechanical contact and roll towards the center of the panel - making sure the bus bar of the panel is still aligned with the slot or opening on the circuit breaker case. Firmly press on the circuit breaker to seat it onto the bus bar.
Use your thumb to press firmly but gently on the circuit breaker until it snaps into place on the bus bar. Connect the circuit wiring to the electrical panel. After making sure the circuit breaker is still in the OFF position, connect the white neutral wire and the black hot wire to the breaker.
Remove knockout plates from your cover as needed. Bring the cover up to the panel to compare the new circuit breaker location to the cover openings. Use a pair of pliers to remove any knockout plates on the cover location where the circuit breaker will be located. Clean all foreign objects out of the panel and reinstall the cover. Remove any tools, wire scraps, or other foreign objects that could cause a short circuit from the interior of the panel. Then, place the cover on the panel to check that the circuit breaker has fully been seated at both contact points and fits through the cover.
Finally, rescrew the cover onto the panel. Turn on the main breaker and test your new circuit breaker. Standing to the side of the panel, restore power to the panel by setting the Service Disconnect or Main to "On" and then set the new circuit breaker to "On".
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Check for correct operation of the new circuit light, outlet, etc. Label the circuit breaker. Locate the panel's circuit directory on the inside of the panel door. Determine the circuit breaker location or "circuit number" and write a description of the circuit load type such as "refrigerator" or a location such as "living room" in the space provided. Be sure to edit the directory if any circuits were moved to install the new circuit. This ultimately depends on how many breakers you have in the box and whether it's your main breaker panel box.
It will likely take between to replace it entirely. Not Helpful 0 Helpful 0. Depending on the model, you may need to install some additional wiring which would be done in the same way as the wiring installed in an ordinary circuit breaker. Read the installation instructions for your combination switch carefully to see if there are any additional steps or precautions you should take.
How to repair a circuit breaker and major fault that arise in a circuit breaker? This depends on what exactly is wrong with the circuit breaker. It may be an issue with wiring, for example, in which case you'd have to replace the wiring feeding into the circuit breaker. Ask an electrician to inspect your circuit breaker and diagnose the problem before attempting to repair it.
This either means that the current passing through the circuit breaker isn't excessive as the circuit breaker will trip when too much current goes through it or the breaker itself isn't working properly. In the latter case, the safest thing to do is to replace the circuit breaker. What have I done wrong if I wired two sockets to a breaker and when I added a fan, it tripped? This probably means that the current going to the two sockets and the fan at the same time is too much; in other words, they're using too much electricity at the same time.
You may have to either remove the fan or rewire one of the sockets such that you're not putting too much current through open circuit breaker. This depends upon the situation. Most defects cannot be seen without drilling the breaker open, which destroys it.