I was removing an old dishwasher and was too lazy to go to the electric meter box of the house and locate the circuit breaker. Instead, I "shorted out" the "hot wire" to ground with a screw driver hoping to trigger the circuit breaker off. Instead, a piece of the copper wire melted onto the screw driver and the point of the screw driver was ruined. The circuit breaker did not shut off and the wire remained energized.
I am now worried that the circuit breaker is not functioning properly. Is there a way to test a circuit breaker to make sure it functioning properly?
2007-12-08 15:42:46 · 9 answers · asked by mklwis 3 in Home & Garden ➔ Maintenance & Repairs
Leave the testing of circuit breakers and live circuits to a professional. Your methods could get you killed, especially in an area where you may come in contact with water or a ground. Like a water pipe. If you are in contact with a live circuit and you become the ground you may well get electrocuted. Your life is worth more than a repair bill. At least take a course and read some proper materials before messing around. Good Luck.
2007-12-08 15:56:16 · answer #1 · answered by William B music lover 3 · 3⤊ 0⤋
The only sure way to check a circuit breaker would be to hook it up to the power source and in series with an amp meter, a fixed value resistor and a variable resistor and then with the power source on start with the variable resistor set at it`s maximum and then slowly lower it`s resistance until the circuit breaker trips. Note the amp meter reading at the instant the circuit breaker trips.The amp meter reading should be equal to or a little less than the manufactures amp specifications for that particular circuit breaker. Of course this test is not practical in your case so I will not bother to explain how to determine the value of the resistors you would use. Your best course of action would be to locate the circuit breaker and replace it. You will probably find that some one has placed a jumper wire across the circuit breaker or the circuit breaker`s amp rating is way too high which would explain why it did not trip when you temporarily shorted the circuit with your screw driver. Most circuit breakers are designed so that when they fail they remain in the open state rather than the closed state. That is why I suspect some one has placed a jumper wire across the circuit breaker.
2007-12-08 16:59:07 · answer #2 · answered by Mr. Un-couth 7 · 1⤊ 2⤋
Is there a way to test a circuit breaker? Yes there is. There is a testing tool out there that puts a dummy load on a breaker and then drops the load (shorts it) to test the tripping characteristics of that breaker. Things like tripping time, current rating, sysmetrical and asysmetrical arc, and sine wave forms for non-linear loads.
This is a job best left to an licensed Electrician. Having a arc flash right in front of your face is not a good thing and you could get badly hurt or killed. If you replace the breaker and something goes wrong with it or something related and it causes a fire your insurance may not cover it.
2007-12-08 16:12:59 · answer #3 · answered by badbender001 6 · 1⤊ 1⤋
No there is not any way for the straightforward person to objective a breaker, breakers are examined by potential of doing a hi-pot attempt that is a potential of over loading or heating the breaker to the factor it journeys, Now so some distance as some older breaker panels which includes Federal Pacific or Zinsco they the two lost the UL itemizing lower back interior the previous due 80's and fairly a number of the older breakers will fail to holiday 60% of the time you may desire to purchase greater contemporary fashions of those breakers yet you would be greater secure and greater beneficial off to interchange the electrical powered Panel, there are a number of coverage companies now days which will cancel your coverage for having those panels on your homestead. desire this facilitates
2016-12-17 11:56:04 · answer #4 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Wow, you're not the sharpest knife in the drawer are you? At least you're honest and admitted you were lazy, however your laziness could have cost you your life. Your lucky the only thing ruined was a screwdriver. Forget about testing the breaker, they are relatively cheap, $5 to $7. Just replace the breaker with an identical unit and call it good. Oh, and be sure to shut off the power and leave your screwdriver in your toolbox.
2007-12-09 09:46:22 · answer #5 · answered by gr8alarmguy 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Its time to call in a real electrician. You have something seriously wrong with your house wiring like corroded or improperly installed wire nuts.
Each connection of your 3 (or 4) wire branch circuit must be inspected and proven to have 0.00 Ohms of resistance.
Then WHEN your house burns down, you'll have somebody else to blame.
--Jim
2007-12-09 14:28:55 · answer #6 · answered by CousinJim 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
There is no real way to test a cct brkr.It's better to just replace it.But I think that there is more wrong with your wiring to the dishwasher then meets the eye.
2007-12-08 16:05:49 · answer #7 · answered by tuxedo cat 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
thats the real dangerious way to test it but doing so did reveal to you a faulty breaker,
if it was a good breaker it would have triped, go to the breaker and manualy trip it off and back on if you cant move the handle then its bad if you can shut it off and back on , but since it failed you once play it safe and buy a 10-20 dollar breaker and possibly save your home or a life
2007-12-08 15:47:06 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 2⤋
boy oh boy better hire some one that knows how to use a screwdriver.electricity can be a shocking experience.
2007-12-08 16:18:25 · answer #9 · answered by RICH H 1 · 1⤊ 2⤋