How to Replace a Circuit Breaker

Comment by itsmatt on August 20, 2008 at 8:59pm

First, I make sure I'm comfortable with the task at hand and understand what I'll be doing. Electricity is dangerous stuff. You don't want to become a statistic!

Check out "Wiring a House" by Rex Cauldwell (A fine Virginian and a master electrician). It is, in my opinion, THE book on wiring. I found it invaluable.

A few things I do when working on electricity:

1. Make sure I've got my alternate light source handy before I turn off the power.
2. Review what I'm going to do and then re-review it before I start.
3. Review the code and make sure I'm not doing "the dumb thing". It is surprising easy to do the dumb thing. Trust me. :-)
4. I wrap my screwdriver shaft in electrical tape down to maybe an inch from the end. Less metal to conduct electricity in case I happen to touch something hot.
5. I carve out enough time to do the project. You don't want to be rushed.
6. Like a good engineer, I "plan my work" and "work my plan". You don't want to have to make multiple trips to the store.
7. I keep a spare flashlight handy as a backup, particularly if I'm working on electricity in the basement. You don't want to be in the dark with wiring (that might be hot, in the case of the service panel) if your light source goes out.
8. When in doubt, I consult the expert. Electricity isn't guesswork. It is good to admit you don't have it all figured out if you don't. Better to be safe than sorry!

I could ramble on more about this topic, but you get the idea.

Good video, Eric!

Comment by Morturn on August 21, 2008 at 6:09pm

Hi Eric

Great video, very informative.

One thing may be worth mentioning is when you reconnect the breaker; make sure that you tighten the screw on the connector as tight as possible so you get the best possible contact.

A common problem with plugs and electrical sockets overheating is the connections are not tight enough

Comment by CherieChat on March 7, 2009 at 1:31pm

Just wanted to let you know that your video was so helpful and gave my husband (and me) the confidence we needed to change our broken circuit. We had talked about it, looked at it, discussed it, searched for info and found little or nothing to encourage that our thoughts were correct, and then I saw this in Gardenfork! We followed your instructions to the tee and Wah Lah... we once again have a working circuit! So much fun to do something and have it work! Thank you very very much.

Comment by Jonathon Martin on September 20, 2009 at 4:48pm

Eric thank you for making this video. I replaced our circuit breaker and have fixed the problem from the knowledge gained here. I'm looking forward to watching other video's you've made.

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