Your morning routine is off to a fine start as you plug in the hairdryer, until, *click*—total darkness. In this instance, it’s unlikely that your power is out for good, but you likely need to learn how to reset your circuit breaker. Though inconvenient, this sudden shutdown happens purposely to safeguard your electronics, ensure the circuit doesn’t overheat, and prevent damage to the electrical panel.
Resetting a circuit breaker in your circuit breaker box is a quick and easy fix. Follow these steps and safety precautions to get your electrical supply back up and running again.
Turn Off Lights and Appliances
Before resetting a breaker, turn off any lights and appliances attached to it. Although this isn’t essential, it is recommended as an additional safety precaution so you don’t overload the circuit breaker again when you reset it. This also makes it easier to identify the particular appliance causing the overload because you can gradually turn things back on.
If you don’t know where to find your circuit breaker, it’s time to go hunting. An electrical panel is pretty easy to identify as it’s usually a gray metal box attached to a wall in the home.
You find them in places like the garage, basement, hall cupboard, or utility room.
Can’t Find Your Breaker Box? Older Homes May Have a Fuse Box
If you go looking for your breaker box and find an electrical panel with small cylindrical devices in a row rather than lots of switches, this means you have a fuse box rather than a circuit breaker box. Fuse boxes are common in older homes, and although they operate similarly to circuit breakers, the process for replacing a blown fuse is different.
Inspect Your Breaker Box
Photo: Lost_in_the_Midwest / Adobe Stock
Once you open the box door or cover, you’ll see rows of switches. If your switches are labeled noting which part of the home they provide power to, your job just got easier.
Inspect your breaker for scorches, burning smells, heat, or rust. If tripped circuit breakers are a regular occurrence in your home, this could indicate a more serious problem better left to a local electrician. If your breakers look intact, and this seems like a random trip, follow the below steps to reset your breaker box.
If there has been a sudden unexpected power surge, like that created during a lightning storm, the main breaker will trip, cutting off power to the entire house. Otherwise, it’s usually a sub breaker that controls power to a particular area of the home at fault.
The main breaker is usually at the top of the panel and larger than the other sub breakers, which are in rows underneath. You need to look for the breaker switch that’s in a different position from the rest.
All working switches will be in the “on” position. The tripped breaker will usually have a switch in the “off” position, although some breakers are still off but in a neutral middle setting. Do not reset just yet.
To reset the breaker, move the switch into the “on” position to restore power. If the breaker switch is in the middle position, you should first move it to the “off” position before flipping it back up to “on.”
Occasionally, a breaker box can spark when you reset a switch. Always stand to the side of the electrical panel, and you may even want to wear safety glasses as an extra precaution. Never turn a switch on if you have wet hands or are standing on a wet surface, and don’t poke around with the wiring behind the breaker switches.
Test an Appliance
Photo: New Africa / Adobe Stock
If these simple steps have done their job, the lights and appliances associated with the circuit breaker you have reset will turn on. If they aren’t working or the breaker trips again, this is a sign that there’s likely a more serious issue.
If the breaker trips again after the reset or it won’t stay in an “on” position, you don’t need to call an electrician straight away. A dodgy light fixture could be to blame, or you may have overloaded the breaker again by using too many high-powered appliances at once.
To check if a particular appliance is causing the problem, try switching things on one at a time. Sometimes an appliance may have a damaged plug or wiring, or the outlet or switch connection could be troublesome. Certain appliances like old refrigerators and hair dryers are also more likely to trip circuit breakers.
If this process of elimination doesn’t solve the problem, it could be a bigger wiring problem. Or the circuit breaker may have failed; in which case, you’ll need to replace the breaker.
What to Do If a Blown Fuse Won't Reset
If your breaker won’t reset and is completely blown, our five-step fix won’t quite do the trick. A circuit breaker that won’t reset could mean you have a short circuit, a faulty breaker, or another serious problem on your hands. Since electric work of any kind can pose a threat to your safety and others, we strongly recommended hiring an electrical pro to resolve this type of issue. A professional electrician can assess the situation and safely fix or install a new circuit breaker.
How To Tell If a Fuse Is Blown In Circuit Breaker
Since most homes no longer have fuse boxes, a “blown fuse” has become synonymous with any problem with your circuit breaker. However, a literal fuse is a metal strip encased in a glass tube that heats up and melts during a power surge. If you have a fuse box in your home (as opposed to a circuit breaker), there are a few ways to tell if a fuse has been blown.
One way to know if a fuse is blown is by checking for signs of any visible damage.
If the tube appears to be broken or cracked, there’s a good chance it’s blown and you will need to replace it.
You may also notice a dark, metallic substance inside the glass tube, which also indicates the fuse is blown.
While visual damage is often a tell-tale sign that a fuse is blown, a blown fuse may not always look damaged. So, using a multimeter is another good way to test if a fuse has blown in your box. This is a tool that measures the electrical value of a circuit.
If you have a circuit breaker and want to know if you have a more serious problem on your hands, you’ll want to check for short circuits, ground faults, or damaged wiring and outlets.
If you’re experiencing these problems, there’s a good chance that your circuit breaker is “blown” and requires professional repair.
DIY vs. Hiring a Pro: When to Call a Certified Electrician
Sometimes simply flipping the switch won’t be enough, and calling a professional for further investigation or repairs will be necessary. Electricians in most areas generally charge between $40 and $120 per hour for their time.
When to Call a Professional
Don’t try to take on major electrical work yourself to save on labor costs—remember, safety first! But before you pick up the phone to call a pro, there may be a simple and safe remedy that you can implement on your own. By following the five steps we’ve considered, you can feel empowered to successfully reset your circuit breaker. Call a professional when:
Hire a local certified electrician when the issues with your electrical panel run deeper than just resetting the breaker.
When your circuit breaker trips, you may worry that a serious electrical problem is on the horizon.
If your circuit breaker is regularly tripping, even when you aren’t overloading the system, this is usually a sign something more serious is going on. Look out for signs of scorching, burning smells, heat, or rusting around the circuit breaker. These aren’t things to ignore as they can be a fire risk.
Make sure you leave the breaker in the “off” position in these scenarios until the electrician can investigate. Sometimes it can simply be a case of a breaker needing replacing because it’s old and there’s significant wear and tear.
Other times, a more substantial system upgrade is required. This could involve adding extra circuits or investing in the cost of a new, more powerful circuit box, which runs about $1,150 on average.
Breyden is passionate about writing for the cost-conscious homeowner who wants to update their space for maximum enjoyment. When she isn’t reading up on the latest home design trends, she can be found looking for creative ways to spruce up her own space.
Breyden is passionate about writing for the cost-conscious homeowner who wants to update their space for maximum enjoyment. When she isn’t reading up on the latest home design trends, she can be found looking for creative ways to spruce up her own space.
The homeowners guide to Electrical
From average costs to expert advice, get all the answers you need to get your job done.
