Bad Circuit Breaker?

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Old 01-26-2022, 08:50 AM
Dawn101970 Dawn101970 is offline
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Default Bad Circuit Breaker?

Good Morning, Is anyone having trouble with the circuit breakers at their home? We had them replaced years ago under warranty, but are having trouble with one that will not reset again. Our house was built in Sept 2012. Thank you
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Old 01-26-2022, 09:56 AM
Dana1963 Dana1963 is offline
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Quite possibly you have a short circuit or ground in the wiring or circuit breaker is defective.
If you have any mechanical skills you will need a volt/ohmmeter hand tools,if not call electrician.
How to Tell if a Circuit Breaker Is Bad - YouTube
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Old 01-26-2022, 10:00 AM
Dawn101970 Dawn101970 is offline
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Thank you Dana, I believe it is the breaker as it will not reset at all. Thanks for the video
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Old 01-26-2022, 10:23 AM
retiredguy123 retiredguy123 is offline
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Originally Posted by Dawn101970 View Post
Thank you Dana, I believe it is the breaker as it will not reset at all. Thanks for the video
Have you unplugged everything on that circuit, and turned off all light switches? A short in any live device can cause the breaker to not reset.
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Old 01-26-2022, 10:31 AM
laboutj laboutj is offline
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If there are any outdoor plugs on that circuit the problem could be with an outdoor plug. Especially with the rain, moisture could leak into the outlet enclosure and cause a short.
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Old 01-26-2022, 11:08 AM
DAVES DAVES is offline
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Originally Posted by laboutj View Post
If there are any outdoor plugs on that circuit the problem could be with an outdoor plug. Especially with the rain, moisture could leak into the outlet enclosure and cause a short.
I believe all your outdoor outlets are protected by a ground fault interrupter in your garage.
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Old 01-26-2022, 12:37 PM
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villagetinker villagetinker is offline
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Originally Posted by Dawn101970 View Post
Good Morning, Is anyone having trouble with the circuit breakers at their home? We had them replaced years ago under warranty, but are having trouble with one that will not reset again. Our house was built in Sept 2012. Thank you
Dawn, you need to state if this is a GFCI breaker, an AFCI breaker, or a standard breaker.
AFCI breakers are typically installed for living room, dining room and bedrooms and are designed to trip for ARCING faults like a pinched power cord.
GFCI breakers are typically installed the service any location that will be outside or close to water, garage, outside outlets, and bathrooms, these are designed to trip on leakage current due to something getting wet.
Regular breakers are design to trip on faults and NONE of the above items.
First you MUST turn the breaker fully OFF to reset, and then back to on. If it trips immediately, LEAVE IT OFF until you or an electrician or someone familiar with electrical wiring can assist you in determining why it is tripping. At a minimum ALL devices need to be disconnected, all lights turned off, etc. Then the breaker can be tested, if it trips get a licensed electrician, the problem is probably in the house wiring. If the breaker does not trip, try turning on or plugging one device at a time.
Hope this helps, and once again, if you are not comfortable doing the above, call an electrician.
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Old 01-26-2022, 03:30 PM
jpvillager jpvillager is offline
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You probably already tried this. They have to be pushed hard to the off position then back to the on position. Snap back and forth several times. Good luck.
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Old 01-27-2022, 07:02 AM
Donaz1 Donaz1 is offline
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I had a circuit breaker trip recently and could not get it to reset. However, when I applied some pressure in the opposite way of turning it to the on position, it did reset. Have not had a problem since.
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Old 01-27-2022, 09:34 AM
nn0wheremann nn0wheremann is offline
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Two things you do not want to repair yourself are electrical faults and garage doors. Hire someone with the knowledge, skills, and tools to do the job right. These can be very unforgiving if you make a mistake.
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Old 01-27-2022, 09:38 AM
davbrindle davbrindle is offline
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Default Bad Circuit Breaker

Most common problem I have run into is, people think they just need to push breaker to on; don't realize you must go completely OFF until you hear a click, then ON
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Old 01-27-2022, 10:15 AM
bkgma bkgma is offline
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My house is 11 years old. I had a faulty circuit breaker. It would intermittently trip, but I could reset it. I called Pike’s, who responded quickly. The electrician replaced the breaker and it is fine now. Have someone that knows what they are doing check your problem. I used Pike’s Electricians - (352) 748-6251
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Old 01-29-2022, 10:23 AM
Dawn101970 Dawn101970 is offline
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Thank you to everyone for the great advice/tips. I had Lenhart Electric come and change the breaker. all set!
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Old 01-29-2022, 11:46 AM
Dana1963 Dana1963 is offline
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Originally Posted by Dawn101970 View Post
Thank you to everyone for the great advice/tips. I had Lenhart Electric come and change the breaker. all set!
Thanks for letting us know what the resolution was. Not many share their outcomes.
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