How to Reset a Circuit Breaker
All is well with the lights and your electrical appliances one minute, then everything falls into pitch-black darkness the next moment. When a room in your house loses power but the other rooms still have power, chances are that the circuit breaker has been tripped. Here are some things you have to know about circuit breakers, and how to reset them in the event of a power surge.
Why Circuit Breakers Trip
Short circuits and circuit overloads are very dangerous. Not only can they cause fires, but they can also cause serious damage on your appliances, setting you back thousands of dollars in repair or replacement. Most homes are wired in a parallel circuit, which prevents all but the extreme power surges and short circuits from affecting every room in your home.
A circuit breaker is a device used to prevent damage caused by short circuits and overloads. Early circuit breakers were called “fuse boxes,” where a series of fuses were attached to every loop of the parallel circuit to prevent damage and injuries from a power surge.
With advanced technology and higher amounts of electricity consumed at homes, the bulky fuses of days gone by have given way to more sophisticated devices like solenoids, contacts, and alloys. The new devices can contain and interrupt a short circuit or an overload better than early fuses.
Safety Precautions
Before you reset the circuit breaker, you need to remember and follow these safety reminders:
Never work with electricity with wet hands, or in a damp environment.
Check the room to see if there’s any obvious smell of burnt wires or circuit boards.
Wait a few seconds before resetting your circuit breaker.
Locate any signs of burning or sparks, and extinguish any of these with a fire extinguisher designed and formulated exclusively for electrical fires.
Steps
When you’re absolutely sure that it’s safe, unplug all the appliances and switch off all the lights in the room that experienced the power outage. Turn off all the lights as well.
Go to the breaker panel and locate the switch that leads to the circuit wired to the room.
If the circuit breaker switch is on the “Off” position, or if it’s halfway between the “Off” and “On” position, the breaker was tripped.
To reset the breaker, move the switch to the “Off” position, and wait a few seconds before you turn the switch back on.
Plug the appliances and switch on the lights to see if the breaker switch trips again. If it does, remove the fuse from the circuit breaker switch and replace it with another compatible fuse that matches the specifications of the original fuse that was in place.
Resetting a circuit breaker will not only give your home a more stable power supply, but can keep your home safe from electrical fires. With these tips, a power surge does not have to be a permanent inconvenience.