main breaker won't reset.

11 years ago

My dad tried adding a Junction box for a water heater in the house . when he turned that circuit on, there was a small pop and the whole house lost power. After double checking his work the wires were set up incorrectly. After troubleshooting a bit we found the circuit breaker box In my garage is not getting power from the main breaker. The main breaker itself did in fact pop, but we cannot reset it. Any suggestions? I'm guessing we broke the main breaker but could not find a replacement at home Depot.

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Comments (4)

Ron Natalie
11 years ago
Unlikely that you broke the main breaker. First turn the main fully off and open the panel. Make sure there is nothing touching the bus bars, etc...

Turn off the breaker to the garage panel and the one you added and try turning on the main. Then try the others.
Divide and conquer.
randy427
11 years ago
Many breakers are designed so that, when popped, you must press the switch towards the OFF position before you can reset it. It may appear to be OFF, but it isn't quite there.
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petey_racer
11 years ago
It could be that the breaker is bad, but not that you "broke" it. I have seen many, many main breakers that fail due to age and poor design simply from not being cycled.

Also, it is pretty much a certainty that you will not find it at a big box store, especially if it's more than 100A.
The breaker is not red, is it?
bullheimer
11 years ago
Good reason to leave electrical work to somebody that knows what they are doing.