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Electric Breakers Installation and Wiring

Circuit breakers are an essential part of your electrical system, allowing you to power appliances and devices safely. Learn how to install a new breaker and wire it so your home can handle the load.

To begin, turn off the power to the breaker panel by flipping the main switch. Use a voltage tester to ensure the breaker is completely de-energized.

Wiring

Using the floor plan as a guide, mark the location of every receptacle, switch, fixture, and major appliance that will be connected to the new circuit. Next, draw lines representing the electrical cable that will run to these devices.

Begin by switching off the power to the Electric Breakers Installation. Use a non-contact tester to check each breaker and wire for electricity before you remove the panel cover. If a tester lights up or beeps, there is still power feeding that circuit. Turn the breakers off, one by one, until the tester is silent.

Note that the breaker terminals have different sizes for wires. Ensure that the terminal size is large enough to accept the wire you are connecting. If you have to strip a lot of wire from the end, it is too small. Terminate the neutral wire at the breaker with a screw or, if you are installing an AFCI or GFCI breaker, use a coiled white wire (a “pigtail”) to terminate the neutral at the breaker.

Electric Breakers Installation
Breaker Installation

A circuit breaker panel, also called an electrical panel or breaker box, is a metal box that contains all of the circuit breakers in your home. It is usually located in a utility room, basement, or garage and has a hinged door that protects the circuit breakers inside.

Before starting the breaker installation process, always make sure that the main breaker switch is in the off position. Leaving the switch in the on position can cause a power surge that will damage or ruin your new circuit breaker.

Start with the neutral wire, which is the white pigtail attached to the circuit breaker in the panel. Remove the screw that holds it in place and loosen it with a screwdriver to expose the wire terminals beneath. Then, insert the end of the wire into one of the terminals and tighten the setscrew to clamp it down. Repeat this process for the hot wire (the black and red service wires), which connects to the breaker in the panel.

Preparation

Before working on a breaker box it’s important to shut off power to the panel. Then remove the panel cover to expose the hot bus bars. Be careful to never touch them as they can still carry a live voltage. Use a multimeter to check for voltage in the neutral and incoming wires. Plug the black wire into the spot that says COM or Common, and the red wire into the spot with the horseshoe symbol (usually marked V or VOLT).

Next, remove the screws that hold the panel cover plate on, being careful not to lose them. Then locate the breaker to be replaced and flip it to the OFF position. After identifying the breaker you’ll need to run cable from each electrical box to your new circuit breaker, following the plan you created in Step 2. Make sure the wires are routed so that they are less likely to brush against hot bus bars. Orderly wires are also easier to identify and work with.

Testing

Once the breaker has been installed and wired, it’s time to test it. Start by shutting off the power to the breaker with a digital multimeter. Set the meter to the AC voltage range that corresponds with your home, either 200 volts or 240 volts. Plug the positive probe into the breaker’s terminal and the negative probe into a metal surface nearby.

If the breaker doesn’t trip, it’s ready to use. If it does trip, turn off the power at the breaker panel and make sure that it’s completely shut off then you will need Electrician CA. 

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