Questions tagged [circuit-breaker]
For questions generally relating to safety devices used to automatically stop the flow of electric current in the event of a fault condition. Use this tag for questions about fuses, too.
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Can I increase breaker size to power a car charger and clothes dryer from the same circuit? [duplicate]
Can I install a 50 amp breaker for both the car charger and the dryer? When I use the dryer I am not use the car's plug. It was 30 amps.
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Breaker trips after a lot of rain and won’t reset for several days
The 20 amp breaker trips whenever we have much rain and will not reset for several days.
I’ve tried swapping it out and that solves the problem until the next big rain, then the same problem occurs.
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Why would an air conditioning unit specify a maximum breaker size?
A ductless mini split unit I am interested in specifies a maximum breaker size of 15 amps. Why would this be the case?
The unit is going to be installed on the opposite side of the house from where ...
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What would cause a microwave oven to trip the breaker when I open the door during heating?
I have a Frigidaire FGMV176NTB range hood microwave oven which was installed new about two years ago. It works fine, but recently started tripping the 15A standard breaker it's on (Siemens c. 1992) ...
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Can someone explain how this makes sense electrically?
The wiring in my house is... odd. Nearly every pair of outlets has one of the outlets connected to a light switch. Sometimes that switch is quite far from the outlet even when there are other closer ...
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3
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Can I put stranded wire into breaker?
My AWG 8 (or maybe 6?) wire used to be on a 50 A breaker. It's stranded (4 copper strands). I'm replacing the breaker with a 30 A one (appliance requires it). I wonder if the connection below is ...
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11
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1
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Can I swap out this 20A breaker for a 15A breaker?
I'm wiring my shed. There is a sub panel out back with a 20A breaker that supplies power to my pool light. I tapped that line to run the power to my shed because it's already ran about 3/4 of the ...
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Challenger Panel: Are there any issues with the breakers we are using?
After reading this question and how much of uproar it caused. These are the breakers we are using with our challenger smb20(20-40)SN panel, apparently they are not all the same.
40 Amp x1 - Pool Panel
...
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How can I determine circuit breaker requirements for an electric range?
I recently had a new range installed and when an electrician was visiting, he pointed out that the circuit was over capacity because the range was rated at 12.2KW at 240V. He said 12,200 W / 240 V = ...
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How can I determine which outlets belong to which circuit?
I'm putting in a powerline Internet adapter for my house (something like this). My mom said it has two circuit breakers, but she has no idea how the house is divided between them. Going across ...
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Why is my air conditioner tripping the circuit breaker?
Our air conditioner recently stopped blowing out cold air. When I went to check on it, I noticed that the outside unit wasn't coming on. We had had problems with ants in the contacter in the past, ...
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1
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Attic unit (heater blower) connector glowing hot
I noticed a burning plastic smell coming from my 15-year-old AC unit pictured below (this is in the attic, the heater/blower unit, the type that has heating strips).
What causes this? Why the circuit ...
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Using a heater and toaster oven trips the breaker. Can an electrician fix this?
Using a heater and a toaster oven together, both about 1500w each, trips the breaker. It seems both are on the same circuit. Moving either appliance to a different location is not really an option.
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20 Amp single receptacle on two 15 amp breakers?
I bought a new Master Blaster that draws 18 amps when using both of its motors that I intend to use to when washing/detailing my car.
In my garage, I currently don’t have a 20 amp outlet. I have two ...
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Why didn't flooded extension cord plug trip breaker?
I had an issue recently where my cat turned on a laundry tub faucet, flooding the basement with municipal water (due to the floor drain being clogged; 1930 house in the Toronto area).
There was a live ...
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What modern 20 amp breaker is compatible with my Challenger panel?
I have a bad 20 amp challenger breaker that I need to replace. Can anyone tell me which replacement to buy. Here’s the info from the breaker:
20 Amp
Challenger
Und.Lab.Inc.Listed
Circuit Breaker
1 ...
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Can I run 275ft underground cable to pole barn?
I have a new 1500 sqft pole barn that needs electric. I expect to need 100Amp service at the barn which will have a 220V 15A compressor and 220V 25A welder. The rest of the barn will be 110V ...
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Running electrical to a shed
I have a shed in my backyard about 200ft from the house. I would like to run electrical to the shed to install 2 or 3 power outlets, and two LED lights for the inside.
Currently from the house to ...
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New house generator AC breaker tripping
I have been in our new house less than 1 year. Yesterday we had a a prolong power outage so I decided to test the generator I got for hurricane season to the house existing generator inlet. I turned ...
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Tandem breaker needs both thrown to break circuit. Incorrectly wired?
I have a tandem circuit breaker in my main breaker box with two 20 amp breakers. To turn off power my wife's office, I need to throw both breakers. I can throw either one and as long as the other is ...
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Why did my electric range wiring burn out at the terminal block?
Turned on our 2 year old stove (Whirlpool Gold) and heard fizzing noises, then smelled electrical burning. Went downstairs and shut off the breaker (40 amp). That was the only way to get it to stop "...
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Why does my microwave keep throwing the circuit breaker?
I have a circuit that powers several things in my house:
Kitchen microwave
Basement lights
Basement sockets
Sump pump
Recently, this circuit has been thrown with alarming frequency when I use the ...
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Kitchen rewire gone wrong
We're renovating a hundred-year-old house that's been through several owners and has hodge-podge wiring. I've redone all the wiring from scratch in the rooms we've re-walled. Everything has gone well ...
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Is my subpanel wired incorrectly for a 240v circuit?
I have a subpanel in a detached workshop which is supplied by two 50 amp circuits from my home's main panel.
My goal is to add a 240v receptacle to power an air compressor.
I have an existing 14-50R ...
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Can a 14 AWG pigtail be used with a smart switch with a 20 amp breaker?
There are several previous questions that have been asked on this topic but they're all related to receptacles. I'm seeing that it is against code to use 14 AWG on a 20 amp circuit but when it comes ...
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How can I tell if a circuit breaker is worn out?
I was installing a light and tripped the breaker (in retrospect, should have turned the breaker off before starting). When I finished installing it I reset the breaker and tried the light switch. ...
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How can I automatically disconnect a coffee maker and space heater without tripping the building's 20A circuit breaker?
My small office has a 20A breaker and we have to run a space heater in the winter or else we freeze to death. Whenever someone turns on the coffee maker, the office circuit breaker trips and everyone'...
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Can you use a 2 pole 2-slot wide breaker to provide 240V?
Forgive my ignorance in terminology, I am a computer engineer but not an electrician. The concepts make sense to me, but I don't know all the industry standards and jargon.
I recently had a 240V ...
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Can I add a breaker to my main disconnect panel?
Next to my meter I have a square d all-in-one combination service entrance device with a service disconnect breaker and a sub panel breaker that must be going to my indoors panel, see attached images.
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Wire size for double pole breakers
Just had a home inspection completed and one of the things advised to be corrected is the wiring running to an AC unit. In the breaker panel it's hooked up to a 30-amp double pole breaker with #12 ...
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Using NEMA 14-50 with 60A breaker
An electrician installed a Tesla wall charger with a 60A breaker. I've added a NEMA 14-50 receptacle to the circuit behind a toggle switch (either the wall charger is powered or the plug, not both). ...
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Is there an average number of outlets that are wired off of one circuit breaker?
I recently demolished my basement to start a reconstruction/improvement project. My first horror was the electrical layout. I've got hidden junctions, mismatched wire sizes, improper junctions and ...
user45
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Is my wiring plan for a bathroom with a whirlpool and macerator reasonable?
Could I get another set of eyes on this schematic? It's a standard bathroom, however I'm adding a whirlpool tub pump, a whirlpool heater, and a macerator unit for waste discharge. I've read the ...
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GE Panel Tandem In Wrong Place
A relative just moved into an apartment. I am a little unsure about the small, old GE panel:
with this information page:
Space 1 has a tandem 20A breaker.
As I understand it, the top row (1,2,3/4, 5/...
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Living room breaker will not turn on after pressure wash
Front of the house pressure washed. Water got in the 2 outlets outside that caused the living room breaker to trip. We waited 24hrs for it to dry out. Nothing. Replaced with a new breaker and still no ...
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Can I change 50 amp circuit breaker out for a 20 amp?
I need to change a 50 amp breaker out for a 20 amp breaker, can I do that without changing the 6AWG wire?
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Sum of current measured from breakers different from main breaker
We are considering upgrading the service at our office from 100A to 200A because we plan to add more equipment that will be high in power consumption continuously.
Just to determine where we are ...
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4 awg wire too large for circuit breakers
I need to run a long circuit out to a stock tank heater in a pasture. This is a 120V, 20 Amp line. Due to length, 4 AWG is called for to hold voltage drop within 3%.
The panel where the circuit will ...
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Why is my neutral wire connected to a breaker?
I'm going to be running a new electrical line to a new shed. I opened up my breaker box and came across what's pictured below.
The top 20A breaker goes to our well pump, and the 15A goes to the shed.
...
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How to use a 100 amp sub panel for a 50 amp input
I'm building a shed I want to add power to. To get power I'm planning to use the power that is going to my hot tub (50 amp).
The hot tub has a 50 amp breaker from the main to a 50 amp breaker box ...
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Do the end caps on this fuse get transferred to the new fuse when/if it blows?
This is one of the time delay fuses in the box outside by my a/c condensor unit:
New ones don't come with the copper end caps as far as I can tell:
I'm guessing they just get pried off the bad fuse ...
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If you can use duplex breakers, is there ever a reason not to?
In general, when circuits need AFCI protection (or GFCI protection if you don't feed everything through GFCI receptacles), you can't use duplex breakers, since there's not enough room for the ...
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Can someone explain this Tandem Breaker Setup to me?
Question
I'm scratching my head trying to understand why my Sub Panel was set up using the tandem breaker configuration described (with picture) below.
There are 3 tandem breakers, with the top two on ...
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Can I run my 40 Amp Range Stove partially on a 30 Amp generator
I plan to buy a 7500/9500 Watt generator with a L14-30 hookup, rated for 30Amps.
The breaker for my Stove Range is a 40 Amp. I don't know the actual Amps required by my Stove; it's not in the manual ...
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Why might my A/C condenser have 2 circuit breakers near each other, in series?
(My house is in Texas, built in 2001.)
Today I was outside inspecting my electricals, and I noticed that my A/C unit has 2 breakers associated with it:
60A breaker in the primary breaker box
40A ...
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20A Split Receptacles Using Tandem Breakers
I am planning on putting two 20A split receptacles in my shop, each powered by a 20A-20A tandem breaker. Can I have a split receptacle connected to one tandem breaker? Or does one one plug from each ...
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What does "Range" Mean in Electrical Circuits?
The switching have been tripping a lot at my apartment, sometimes an entire wall is completely powerless, but the rest of the rooms are just fine.
Usually, I just need to turn the switch off and on ...
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Can I use #8 wire in a 15 or 20A circuit?
I have a customer with a detached garage/shed unit that wants to install a few outlets and light fixtures/recessed lighting - common residential use, meaning no heavy power tools, washers/dryers, etc.
...
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How is it that two breaker switches control the same things?
Forewarning: I don't know that much about electrical terms, so please excuse any mistakes I've possibly made.
I recently moved the TV in my living room and ran a new line for the electricity to the ...
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Should my receptacle tester be able to trip a GFCI breaker in the panel box?
I have a receptacle tester with a button to test GFCI. It works properly in tripping the GFCI if the outlet itself is a GFCI outlet. However when I test it on circuits which have a GFCI breaker ...
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