Steps to Replace circuit breaker

1. Open door on breaker box
2. Find main shut-off inside box > it will be the largest breaker > it will have the number 60, 100 or 200 located on the large breaker to show how many amps are available

3. If breaker box does not have a main shut off, call the electric company
4. A license might be required for a ‘meter pull’ or a ‘smart-meter turn-off’
5. If no license is required, electric company will remove lock around outdoor electric meter for a charge
6. Pull meter out <> the back of meter has 4 prongs that stab into meter box <> the meter is held in place by friction, there are no screws
7. Pulling a meter requires a stout pull <> usually you pull downward on the top of meter and then push up, going up & down to loosen and remove meter > removing meter will turn off electricity to whole house including breaker box > stand on dry boards when pulling meter
8. Do not put hand or screwdriver inside meter box > it has live electricity > if kids are around, they will play with the meter box after you go inside to change breaker > for safety around kids, turn the meter upside down and push it back into place <> the electric company disconnect service by turning the meter upside down.
9. After work is finished, electric company drops by later and puts safety lock back on [do not tamper with the meter, they will find out]

10. If breaker box has a main shut off, turn it off
11. Do not stand on bare soil or damp surface of any kind when working with electricity
12. Lay plywood or boards down so you do not contact any possible ground surface
13. Wear dry clothes and dry shoes
14. Do not lean against or touch washing machine or any metal pipe, metal duct or metal object
15. After turning off main breaker, remove cover from breaker box > to do this, remove 4 or 6 screws
16. Once inside breaker box, use extreme caution <> the big wires that attach to main breaker are still hot > do not touch or get near the main breaker
17. Notice there are two vertical rows of breakers
18. Behind each row of breakers is a bus bar > there are two bus bars, one for each row of breakers
19. The bus bar carries electricity from main breaker to each individual breaker
20. Each breaker ‘stabs’ or ‘snaps’ onto the bus bar by friction <> there are no screws attaching breaker to bus bar
21. Each breaker has a black or red wire that is attached with a screw <> these are the hot wires <> 120 Volt breakers have one hot wire <> 240 Volt breakers have two hot wires <> notice that all white wires and bare copper wires attach to an exposed metal bar
22. Before going further, test if electricity is turned off for sure. To do this, leave individual breakers turned on
23. Put tester on the screw where wire attaches to breaker and touch other prong of tester to metal bar where white wires attach
24. Test several breakers this way to make sure electricity is off
25. If electricity is still on, you can proceed but you must be careful: for safety, turn off all individual breakers and never touch the bus bar
26. Identify breaker to be replaced
27. Remove wire to breaker
28. Breaker is held in place by friction
29. You may need a screwdriver to coax breaker loose
30. Once breaker is loose, it will lift out > sometimes it will be in pieces > make sure these pieces don’t drop behind the other breakers > use insulated needle nose pliers to remove all pieces
31. Now look at bus bar where the bad breaker was connected > if bus bar is burned and broken, then the new breaker will have to fit into another slot
32. If you do not have another slot available, it is possible to connect wire to another nearby breaker <> basically you will double up on another breaker > that breaker will now serve 2 circuits
33. When bus bar is damaged, you may have to double up if no slots are available for new breaker. Here are the steps for doubling up a single 120V breaker [not a 240V breaker]
34. When you double up you must use the same size breaker as being replaced > so if bad breaker was 20 Amp, then you must select another nearby 20 Amp breaker
35. When you double up, refer to your panel door where you have all breakers labeled and find which nearby breaker is not being used heavily > then attach wire from bad breaker to the chosen double up breaker
36. If your bus bar is in good shape, then new breaker can go back into same slot where the bad breaker was > firmly push new breaker in place > push hard and make sure new breaker sits even with all other breakers
37. Re-connect wire to new breaker and tighten screw very firmly against wire [sometimes it’s easier to connect wire to new breaker before pushing breaker in place]
38. While electricity is off, tighten screws on all breakers <> DO NOT touch main breaker or the wires going to main breaker
39. Tighten screws on the neutral bar where the white and bare copper wires attach <> be very careful around main breaker <> don’t let your screwdriver slip
40. After screws are tight, put on cover panel temporarily with 2 screws
41. Turn on main breaker and check new circuit
42, If circuit is working, then finish by putting rest of screws on cover panel > wiggle the panel around so all screws go in > extra panel screws are available in electric dept at home center
43. The cover panel is an important safety device <> it must be tight against wall so no spark can come out.

Gene Haynes

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