How To Find Out Which Circuit Breaker in the Power Panel Is Worn Out

Locate the power panel. To find out if a circuit breaker is worn out, you'll first need to locate the power panel in your home. It is a metal box that has a lot of fuses or switches inside. Look in your basement, or in a utility closet. There is not a definite spot to install a power panel in homes. Usually, it is hidden from view, wherever it is placed.

Locate the problematic circuit breaker.  A circuit breaker protects the electrical circuits in your home by stopping the flow of electrical currents when a problem happens. That's why it's important to replace a worn out circuit breaker as soon as you feel it may not be working correctly. Search your power panel for a switch that is facing the opposite direction from the rest. Read the label attached to that breaker to ensure that you haven't purposely turned off the breaker. Any circuit breaker that is facing the wrong direction that you didn't purposely touch is indicating that there is a problem with your power panel.

Reset the circuit breaker. The next step in determining whether or not a circuit breaker is worn out in your power panel is to reset it. Make sure that no one is touching anything electrical in the room that the circuit breaker provides power to (light sockets, power outlets, etc.) Then flip the switch to its correct location, facing the same direction as the rest of the circuit breakers in the power panel. Have someone check to see if the power has returned to the room. If it has and if the circuit breaker remains facing the right direction, your breaker is fine. On the other hand, if it doesn't supply power to the room or if it quickly reverts back to its ‘off' position, it's time to replace the circuit breaker.

Beware of circuit breakers that trip too easily. Another way to detect a circuit breaker that is worn out or needs replacing is to take note of how often it trips (or turns itself off). If you find yourself running to the power panel several times a day and you haven't added any more strain to the breaker (like plugging in a huge electrical load), then your breaker is likely old and faulty.

Look out for breakers that don't trip. The flip side of a breaker that trips too often is a circuit breaker that doesn't trip enough. If the circuit breaker doesn't trip when a problem occurs, there is something wrong with it. Have it replaced immediately so that you don't risk electrical shock.