Turning the main breaker back on:

This article describes some careful steps to reduce the chance of fire or shock or injury if the main circuit breaker has tripped off and if perhaps additional circuit breakers have tripped off in your building as well.

Before restoring electrical power by flipping breakers back on, here are some things to do, starting with calling a licensed electrician.

Steps to Turn Electricity Back On After Main Breaker Trips

This article is about how to turn power back on when one or more circuit breakers have tripped.

If your elecrical box uses fuses, see BLOWN FUSE REPLACEMENT.

On 2017-07-19 by Mike

Breakers popped loudly now no electricity in entire trailer house.

This question & answer about mobile home electrical systems was posted originally

at MOBILE HOME ELECTRICAL WIRING FAQs

On 2017-07-19 by (mod) - how to turn power back on after the main breaker popped off

Mike

That sounds like a major short circuit and it sounds as if the main circuit breaker has tripped off.

I'm inclined to be very cautious because if there was a significant short circuit we don't want to turn on power and have a fire or injury.

Other safety experts will doubtless have additional advice and warnings about the safest way to restore power after the main breaker has tripped. The following is my OPINION.

Also see our advice

at Step 5. RESTORE UTILITIES AFTER FLOODING .

Steps to turn electrical power back on after a main breaker trip

Step 1: I would leave power OFF and call for help from a licensed electrician.

That's because even if the original problem seemed small, like a bad toaster that should have tripped off the electrical circuit to which the toaster was plugged-in, if the main breaker has tripped off - killing all power in the home - then the individual circuit breaker probably didn't do its job and it too may be unsafe.

Step 2: Take a look around the home to see if there are signs of sparking, arcing, burns at electrical receptacles, lights, switches, appliances etc.

If you need power right away and the electrician won't be able to come promptly you could try this sequence.

Watch out: you could be shocked, killed, or could start a fire if the circuit breakers in your home do not trip off when they should.

And do NOT open the electrical panel to expose its interior wiring unless you're a trained electrician: there are live, fatal shock hazards inside.

Step 3: Un-plug absolutely everything you can - lights, appliances, etc.

Step 4: Switch off everything you can - heaters, pumps, water heater etc.

Step 5: in the main electrical panel look to see what breakers are tripped off:

From your note I guess that probably the main breaker is OFF

Step 6: looking at your electrical panel, write down

- which breakers are all the way to ON

- which are visibly at OFF

- which are in the middle between OFF and ON - these are breakers that have tripped

Step 6: provided you don't see evidence of black arcing or burn marks anywhere (including at or on the electrical panel)

You could try then switching the main breaker back, on provided you're not standing in water or are wet or are on wet ground, touching other metal pipes etc.

If the breaker pops off again leave it OFF until you've got onsite help.

If the main breaker stays ON and there is no smoke, spark, or other scary fire or shock event that you can see or hear or smell in or around the home

Watch out: if there are any signs of smoking or heating, if the fuse blows, or if a breaker goes off, leave all power off and call a licensed electrician.

Step 7: you can try to turn ON individual circuit breakers that were ON previously, one by one - those circuits may be OK

IF those breakers stay on without sign of trouble (as above) check those circuits for power: some lights and receptacles should be working.

Watch out: I am reluctant to tell you to turn back on other individual circuit breakers that tripped off, and also I emphasize that if the main trips off again you should leave everything off, because your description sounds as if there was a significant damage or failure that turned off your main breaker itself - that's the most critical, last line of defense against shock and power in the home.

That situation might mean that the electrical panel breakers are of a problem brand or are otherwise damaged and that a fault on an individual circuit that should have tripped off just that breaker failed to do so - resulting in blowing the main.

Step 8: gather more information

Look for and at least for now stop using any electrical appliance or device that caused the circuit breaker to trip.

If you know that the home has

An obsolete or poor-performing electrical panel An FPE Stab-Lok electrical panel, or a Zinsco or Bulldog Pushmatic panel those breakers (as well as a few others discussed at InspectApedia.com are known to have trouble and should be left off

Watch out: some breakers such as FPE breakers or Bulldog Pushmatics may be physically switched OFF but might remain ON internally - and jammed - that'

See ALUMINUM WIRING HAZARDS & REPAIRS

Also watch out for these obsolete or unsafe electrical panels:

• Classified CIRCUIT BREAKER WARNING
• FEDERAL PACIFIC FPE HAZARDS
• PUSHMATIC - BULLDOG PANELS
• SIEMENS MURRAY Recall
• SPLIT BUS ELECTRICAL PANEL HAZARDS
• SQUARE-D AFCI RECALL 2004
• SQUARE-D COUNTERFEIT BREAKER RECALL
• ZINSCO / SYLVANIA HAZARDS

Use the page top or bottom CONTACT link to send me photos of your panel and its outside and door labels and of other signs of arcing or burning you find and I may be able to comment further.

Stay safe.

...

---

---

ADVERTISEMENT

---

---

Reader Q&A - also see RECOMMENDED ARTICLES & FAQs

On 2021-01-22 "tandem"?

If you mean that the circuit breakers are linked physically together so that if one trips they both trip, that could be because the circuit is using a shared neutral wire.

If that's the case then they need to remain linked

On 2021-01-22 by RICHARD

We have a strange situation with the breakers!? Out plug circuits go off when (and same for overhead) when the breaker for the plugs is tripped. I examined the breaker arrangement and found that the plug circuits are in tandem with the overhead circuits. But why ?

if thr overhead or plug circuit trips the whole room goes dark? WHY IS IT WIRED THIS WAY and can or should it be separated ??

On 2019-12-16 by (mod) - HOW to GET HEAT if the HEAT PUMP IS NOT WORKING

Dorothy


HOW to GET HEAT if the HEAT PUMP IS NOT WORKING

If your thermostat has a setting for "EMERGENCY HEAT" switch that ON; that will turn on your backup heating system.

To be clear, "emergency heat" should normally be turned on ONLY if the heat pump itself fails or won't run.


HOW TO TURN the HEAT PUMP BACK ON IN COLD WEATHER - AFTER a POWER LOSS or POWER WAS TURNED OFF

EXPLANATION of why we don’t just turn the heat pump back on and call for heat:

When your heat pump has been OFF for several hours or longer in cold weather, you do NOT want to simply turn everything back on so as to ask the outdoor compressor unit to run.

That’s because when the compressor has been off in cold weather if you suddenly turn it back on and ask it to run, liquid refrigerant may enter the compressor motor, damaging or ruining it. That’s called “liquid slugging” at the compressor

. Normally when the heat pump has electrical power a small electric heater right on the compressor motor keeps it warm in cold weather so that any refrigerant entering the compressor is in gas form, not liquid form. That prevents liquid slugging damage.

DO THE FOLLOWING:

When power to your home is on (if it was off, say due to a power failure)

1. Set the thermostat to EMERGENCY HEAT. That will give you heat while we’re waiting for the heat pump’s own internal heater to warm it up to avoid damage to the compressor motor.

2. WAIT at least six hours. (The specific amount of time you really need to wait depends on the heat pump brand and model and the outdoor temperature; you may see specific advice in your heat pump operating manual or you can call the manufacturer’s consumer help line to ask that guidance).

If you have no other information, wait at least six hours after having restored electric power to the home and to the heat pump circuit.

3. SWITCH the thermostat back to normal HEAT mode and your heat pump system should be ready to operate.

4. LISTEN: if you hear an ongoing horrible rattling banging or screaming noise coming from the outdoor compressor-condenser unit turn the system back off and call your HVAC company for repair.


MORE INFORMATION on How to use your heat pump and our list of heat pump diagnostic procedures begins at

HEAT PUMPS inspectapedia.com/aircond/Heat_Pump_Repairs.php



About the problem you had that started all of this: HEAT PUMP WOULD NOT TURN OFF:

It sounds as if there might be a short between thermostat wires (or a bad heater control board or relay)

Details on how to debug that problem are at THERMOSTAT WON'T TURN OFF inspectapedia.com/heat/Thermostat_Stuck_On.php

On 2019-12-16 by Dorothy

My heat pump was making the room hotter; it had gotten up to 71 and going higher (I had the thermostat set at 64, manual mode). To stop the persistent blowing heat I threw the breakers controlling the heat pump, depriving it of power. I haven't had any heat for days and it's cold in here.

I want to try re-starting the heat pump but want to know how to avoid damaging the system. (I'm thinking the system may "re-boot" if I put the power back on; is this possible?). Please advise how to safely re-start the power to the heat pump system.

On 2019-03-03 - by (mod) -

Anon:

Because of the risk of a building fire or death by electrocution, if you see power off at your main electrical panel and there was sparking, it is important to

1. do not touch the panel nor any other electrical components

2. call for help from your electrical utility company if you suspect the problem is outdoors or at the meter

3. call for help from a licensed electrician

Leave power off meanwhile

On 2019-03-03 by Anonymous

What can you do if the power make a spark in your house and everything off

On 2019-03-03 by Isaac

This is nice am learning something

On 2019-02-21 - by (mod) -

Johnny

That sounds like a bad main breaker or bad service entry connections at the meter or box. I've seen that failure occur inside the electric meter too.

If your neighbours have power then the problem is probably local to your electrical service so that's the first question to answer.

You'll need a licensed electrician to inspect the meter, service entry cable, and electrical panel.

Tell me the brand name on your electrical panel as that may be pertinent, as would be the age of the home and whether or not aluminum electrical wiring is in use.

On 2019-02-21 by Johnny

Had breaker go bad replaced but I have no electricity at all and entire box why

...

Continue reading at MAIN ELECTRICAL DISCONNECT or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see these

Recommended Articles

• AFCIs ARC FAULT CIRCUIT INTERRUPTERS - reset an AFCI
• BLOWN FUSE REPLACEMENT
• CIRCUIT BREAKER MAIN or FUSE TEST
• ELECTRIC POWER LOSS / FLICKERING LIGHTS
• ELECTRICAL INSPECTOR SAFETY PROCEDURES
• ELECTRICAL OUTLET ADAPTER SHORT CIRCUIT
• ELECTRICITY TURN ON AFTER BREAKER TRIP - reset circuit breaker
• GFCI TEST PROCEDURES - reset a GFCI
• HOW TO TURN OFF ELECTRICITY in a WET or FLOODED BUILDING
• MAIN ELECTRICAL DISCONNECT
• MOBILE HOME ELECTRICAL POWER LOST

Suggested citation for this web page

ELECTRICITY TURN ON AFTER BREAKER TRIP at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.

Or see this

INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to ELECTRICAL INSPECTION & TESTING

Or use the SEARCH BOX found below to Ask a Question or Search InspectApedia

Or see

INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to MANUFACTURED & MOBILE HOMES

Or use the SEARCH BOX found below to Ask a Question or Search InspectApedia

Or see

INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to BUILDING DAMAGE, DISASTER, REPAIRS

Or use the SEARCH BOX found below to Ask a Question or Search InspectApedia

Or see

INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to BUILDING STRUCTURES

Or use the SEARCH BOX found below to Ask a Question or Search InspectApedia

Ask a Question or Search InspectApedia

Try the search box just below, or if you prefer, post a question or comment in the Comments box below and we will respond promptly.

Note: appearance of your Comment below may be delayed: if your comment contains an image, photograph, web link, or text that looks to the software as if it might be a web link, your posting will appear after it has been approved by a moderator. Apologies for the delay.

Only one image can be added per comment but you can post as many comments, and therefore images, as you like.
You will not receive a notification when a response to your question has been posted.
Please bookmark this page to make it easy for you to check back for our response.

---

 

IF above you see "Comment Form is loading comments..." then COMMENT BOX - countable.ca / bawkbox.com IS NOT WORKING.

In any case you are welcome to send an email directly to us at InspectApedia.com at editor@inspectApedia.com

We'll reply to you directly. Please help us help you by noting, in your email, the URL of the InspectApedia page where you wanted to comment.

Citations & References

In addition to any citations in the article above, a full list is available on request.

---

ADVERTISEMENT

---