SAN RAFAEL — A common electrical issue is when the power goes out in a certain area of the home. More often than not, this is due to a tripped circuit breaker, which is something you can easily fix yourself by going out to your breaker box and resetting the breaker in question.
This may sound simple, but in some instances, it can get more complicated than you might expect. Consider the following scenario: You reset the circuit breaker and the power doesn’t come back on, but when an electrician comes out and resets it, the power “magically” returns, leaving you scratching your head. In most cases, the problem is the circuit breakers weren’t labeled properly, which caused you to mistakenly reset the wrong one. It’s an easy mistake to make, but it’s also an expensive one because it results in an unnecessary service fee.
Fortunately, there’s a simple way to avoid this error: reset all of your circuit breakers. After turning them all off, wait until you hear a mechanical click and then turn them back on. By resetting all of your breakers, you rule out the possibility of mistakenly resetting the wrong one. If you still don’t have power after attempting this step, it’s time to call an electrician.

A Foolproof Way to Reset a Circuit Breaker

Learn a foolproof method to safely reset a circuit breaker. Take simple steps to avoid common pitfalls and ensure your electrical system functions smoothly.

A Foolproof Way to Reset a Circuit Breaker by Joe Greenwood

by Joe Greenwood, a Diamond Certified Expert Contributor

Video: Troubleshooting a Power Outage

In the event of a power outage, there is a simple way to test if the cause was a tripped circuit breaker. Today, we're in San Rafael with Diamond Certified expert contributor Joe Greenwood of Greenwood Electric to learn more about this useful method.

Okay, so today, what I'd like to suggest is how to troubleshoot a circuit breaker or a faulted circuit. Often, we get phone calls from people - their kitchen doesn't work, the refrigerator's out, or the receptacles in their bedroom don't work - and they say that they've actually checked the circuit breaker. And then we go out there and we have to reset the circuit breaker, and it comes magically back on. So, what I like to suggest to people before we come out, and it saves them the cost of a service call, is to go to all your circuit breakers. If you have something that's off, if it's not labeled, turn them all the way off until you hear a mechanical click. Then turn them back on. And when you feel a mechanical click, then the circuit breaker has re-engineered itself; it's back on. Then you can test your power. If you still don't have power after doing that, then give us a call.

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Joe Greenwood: An Electric Opportunity

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