How to Reset a Circuit Breaker With No Power

Circuit breakers have replaced fuses as the primary safety mechanism in a building's electrical system.

Circuit breakers are basic safety devices in electrical systems that automatically cut power to a specific circuit if it becomes overloaded or shorts out. When a faulty circuit "trips" the breaker, a lever within the device switches to the "off" position until a homeowner or building operator can manually reset the breaker and reopen the circuit for electrical service. When the power source to the breaker fails, however, it can sometimes take a few more steps to reset the system.

Things You'll Need

• Flashlight
• Circuit breaker

Instructions

1. Locate and open the circuit breaker panel, usually a gray metal box placed somewhere in a basement or utility room.

2. Identify the specific breaker that has tripped. Typically a red bar will appear in an otherwise black or green window near the breaker handle.

3. Flip the lever back to the "on" position. If this fails to resolve the problem, continue on to the next step.

4. Locate and turn off the breaker panel's main service breaker, usually a bigger switch that shuts off electricity to a building's entire electrical system.

5. Flip the service breaker to the "off" position for five minutes. Restore power to the service breaker, then restore power to the tripped circuit breaker.

References

• Electrician PDQ: Partial Power Loss