How to reset circuit breaker

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How to reset circuit breaker

How to reset circuit breaker

Circuit breaker can look ok, but still be tripped.
Push circuit breaker all the way OFF, and then all the way back ON.

How to replace circuit breaker
Choose correct size wire and breaker
See inside main breaker box

Busbar is burned

Burned busbar

Overheated breaker can get loose and overheat on busbar . Use nose and ears to find burned breaker
Move wires to different same-size breaker

Circuit breaker warm to touch?
Breaker should trip when heat exceeds rating.
Causes: Bad breaker
Loose wire
Load draws too many amps
Breaker loose on busbar
Burned busbar
Short to ground

Resources:
Replace circuit breaker
Choose correct size wire and breaker
Water heater blowing breaker
Basic house wiring
20 amp breaker and 10 gauge wire
water heater circuit breaker

Choose correct size wire and breaker

Choose correct size wire and breaker

Breaker is tripping
Water heater not receiving 240Volts

Water heater not receiving 240Volts:

Breaker trips because of heat. Action: Reset breaker: Push breaker fully OFF and then fully back ON.
1) Loose wires on breaker can cause heat. Action: Turn off main breaker, Tighten both wires on circuit breaker.
2) Loose breaker can trip breaker. Action: Wiggle breaker and listen for crackling sound and smell of burning. Move wires to another identical-sized breaker and see if problem continues. Replace circuit breaker.
3) Short caused by wiring inside tank can trip breaker. Action: If breaker will not reset, move breaker wires to identical-sized breaker and see if problem continues. If different breaker trips also, then short is located at tank or along wire going to tank. Inspect wire to tank for damage caused by nail, staple or rat gnaws.
4) Short inside tank: Inspect for burned wires and melting. Test for continuity between each wire and bare metal part of water heater. Set multimeter to read ohms. Any positive test to bare metal hull of water heater indicates shorted wire that will trip breaker.
5) Wet water heater can trip breaker. Action: leave breaker OFF and inspect for leaks.
6) Undersized breaker and wire can trip. Action: make sure breaker is 30 amp and wire is 10 Gauge
7) Flooded water heater must be replaced:
Resource:
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circuit breaker Circuit breaker resources
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How to reset circuit breaker
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Types of surge protection
Question: Are both sides of the breaker 30 amp or one each one of them 15 amp ?

Answer: I had that discussion with a guy and did some research on electrician forums... which was a battle over sine waves and ultimately inconclusive.

Then I remembered reading an industry .pdf that said you can make a 240 breaker by combining 2 single-pole breakers, but that code requires you to install a 'common bar' between the breaker so if one trips, then the other breaker also trips...
Then I remembered the oscillating (sine wave) nature of electricity, where AC power reverses the direction of electrons 60 times per second... over and over and over... and how the voltage rises and falls as electrons come to a stop, reverse direction and accelerate the opposite direction... yet the average voltage is always above zero, and the oscillations happen so fast that it is not a noticeable factor for electricity as we humans use it.
Then I remembered that each leg of a 240 volt circuit is out-of-phase with the other leg.... which means the sine wave for one leg is mirror of the other leg... and the load receives more sustained power ...which is why we use 240 volt instead of 120 volts... because it is more efficient. This means each leg is delivering power to the load, and thus is independent of the other leg. Of course that is true because the electrons travel back and forth on the wire... and so one leg is pushing electrons when the other leg is pulling electrons ... this increasing total power, and this can be represented by the formula E = IR, or power (watts) = volts x amp. The formula shows if you have 30 amp, and change the voltage from 120 to 240, then the power (watts) goes up, or the amps (heat loss on wire) decreases.
... the final conclusion... the answer is that both breakers are 30 amp... because both are pushing and pulling electrons down the wire, like pedaling a bicycle with two legs instead of one.
... so yes... the answer is that both breakers are 30 amp.
Resources:
Figure volts amps watts
Formulas for ohm's law
What is electricity
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