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Keep your breaker circuits working safely and properly with this user-friendly guide
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A breaker circuit is an electrical switch that cuts off electrical flow in the event of a possible short circuit or overload. This device is essential in a modern world that runs on electricity. Without a circuit breaker, you could find yourself dealing with household fires on a regular basis. While you can easily call a professional electrician, you can also learn how to wire a breaker circuit yourself with relative ease.

  1. This should be located at the top of the breaker panel.
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  3. Use an electrical tester by putting the tip of one probe against the ground bus bar and the other against one of the screws of a circuit breaker.
    • Connected to this screw should be a red, black, or blue covered wire.
    • If you have properly turned off the power, there should be no signs of voltage.
  4. You may need a small, pointy tool, such as a screwdriver, to get them out.
  5. The cable clamp will keep the four-conductor cable in place after you run it through the hole.
    • Remove the lock-nut from the cable clamp.
    • Push the cable clamp through the hole. The side that comes through the bottom should have spiral edges for screwing it in.
    • Tighten the lock-nut back around the cable clamp by placing it at the underside of the clamp where you see the spiral edges and screwing it in with Channel-Lock pliers.
  6. You may need a professional to look at your breaker box and tell you which kind of four-conductor cable you need.
  7. Inside the covering, you'll find a copper wire (the ground wire), a white covered wire (the neutral wire), a black wire (the hot wire), and a red wire (another hot wire). In the sub-panel box, the neutral and ground wires will connect the same as they do in the main breaker box, but the red and black wires will connect to the hot bar instead of a circuit breaker.
  8. It is a metal strip with a row of screws running down it. Using a flathead screwdriver, unscrew one of them slightly and push your ground wire through. Screw it back in tightly after you insert it.
  9. Like the ground bus bar, this will be a metal strip with a row of screws, but the neutral bus bar is typically white.
    • Take a neutral wire and cut away about a centimeter of the covering at the end of the wire.
    • Use your flathead screwdriver to unscrew one of the screws and then push the wire through.
    • Screw it back in after you have inserted the neutral wire.
    • You should find a list of acceptable circuit breakers you can use.
    • Make sure that your circuit breaker is of acceptable size and voltage.
  10. It will be clearly indicated where this should go. Depending on the kind of circuit breaker you must use, you may have to attach the red hot wire as well.
  11. One set will be on the left side, and the other on the right side.
  12. With the circuit breaker held correctly (the text on it should indicate which way is right side up), push the set of clips at the right side of its back into the plastic bar in the opening.
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Expert Q&A

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  • Question
    Where can I find my circuit breaker?
    Jesse Kuhlman
    Master Electrician, Kuhlman Electric
    Jesse Kuhlman is a Master Electrician and the Owner of Kuhlman Electric based in Massachusetts. Jesse specializes in all aspects of home and residential wiring, troubleshooting, generator installation, and WiFi thermostats. Jesse is also the author of four eBooks on home wiring including "Residential Electrical Troubleshooting" which covers basic electrical troubleshooting in residential homes.
    Master Electrician, Kuhlman Electric
    Expert Answer
    It totally depends on where you live. In the Northeastern United States, for example, you typically find them in the basement. If you're on the West Coast, you see a lot of circuit breakers on the outside of the house. You just kind of have to poke around a bit sometimes to find them.
  • Question
    Is my circuit breaker AC or DC?
    Jesse Kuhlman
    Master Electrician, Kuhlman Electric
    Jesse Kuhlman is a Master Electrician and the Owner of Kuhlman Electric based in Massachusetts. Jesse specializes in all aspects of home and residential wiring, troubleshooting, generator installation, and WiFi thermostats. Jesse is also the author of four eBooks on home wiring including "Residential Electrical Troubleshooting" which covers basic electrical troubleshooting in residential homes.
    Master Electrician, Kuhlman Electric
    Expert Answer
    It's almost always going to be AC. Very few appliances or wiring setups are going to be DC in a residential home.
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      Tips

      • Find a diagram of a breaker box online before getting started. This will help you ensure you are working with the correct wires and bus bars as you wire a breaker circuit.
      • If at any point you feel unsure of what you're doing, consider getting a professional electrician to do this job for you.
      • You can fit a piece of cardboard into the section of the breaker box you're not using as an extra guard against live wires.
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      Warnings

      • Always double check to make sure you have turned off the main power switch and the circuit breaker power.
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      Things You'll Need

      • Circuit breaker
      • Channel-Lock pliers
      • Four-conductor cable
      • Flathead screwdriver
      • Utility knife
      • Electrical tester

      About This Article

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      Reader Success Stories

      • Robert Naranj

        Nov 25, 2016

        "The directions were well done. Thanks so much for your information. It was invaluable."
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