Main Breaker Wouldn't reset from Off

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Rick Christopherson

Rick Christopherson

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While I was answering a post in another thread, I shut off the main breaker on my Square-D 200 amp homline panel for I believe the first time in 14 years. To my horror, it would not reset and I thought I was going to have to call an electrician :D.

I did manage to get it to reset by holding it in the On position and tapping gently on the case. I don't know enough about the internals of main breakers, but this has me wondering if I shouldn't be concerned. Any thoughts?
 
electricalperson said:
the inside parts might be a little screwed up. you can buy those breakers at home depot i believe they just bolt onto the bus and screw down
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That would be fine, and I wouldn't mind doing a little hot work in that fashion, but if memory serves me, the lugs are built into the breaker, and that is not something I would feel comfortable messing with hot.

I am wondering what the potential risks are of the existing breaker.
 
chris kennedy said:
Why??? Testing your UPS?

Did you push the handle hard into the off position? Some times you will need to tap the handle to off in order to reset to on.
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No, it was for this post on ground loops.

Yes, I did cycle the handle hard, although I did not tap it when it was in the off position. Now that it is back on, I don't really want to mess with it any more just in case I can't reset it, especially on a Sunday.
 
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I had that happen to me many years ago on a concrete plant, 400 amp main on the pole, had to turn it off to tie in a new 200 amp sub feed for a roots type blower to unload dry mix from the tankers. Talked the owner in letting me shut it off for 15 minutes to tie in the new feed, when I tried to turn it back on, it would not move far enough to latch. I had to remove the cover and trim the fiber board insulator that the blades were catching on. Now that I'm older and wiser, would not want to have to do that again! This was a nema 3R enclosure, and he said the door had been left open (side swing) on it for years.
 
chris kennedy said:
Why??? Testing your UPS?

Did you push the handle hard into the off position? Some times you will need to tap the handle to off in order to reset to on.
Click to expand...

Who cares why????

I think he is lucky he found the defect before nature did and tried her hardest to bring dust back to dust.

The breaker is defective and is a potential hazard. The cost may approach that of three pizzas, delivered, from a decent baker. So that is the cost, the reward being saving the cost. What is the risk? Could be unimaginable.

Change the main, keep it for dexterity or do an autopsy on it. I prefer the former.
 
Pull the meter first and then change the main deenergized. Just be sure to call poco to replace the tag. Tell them it was an emergency and your electrician did it. Be sure to test and make sure all connections are tight yet not broken or striped.
 
Rick Christopherson said:
While I was answering a post in another thread, I shut off the main breaker on my Square-D 200 amp homline panel for I believe the first time in 14 years. To my horror, it would not reset and I thought I was going to have to call an electrician :D.

I did manage to get it to reset by holding it in the On position and tapping gently on the case. I don't know enough about the internals of main breakers, but this has me wondering if I shouldn't be concerned. Any thoughts?
Click to expand...
I would definitely replace it if it were my house and my family were sleeping there. If you want to go cheap buy a new one at big blue cycle the old one completely on and off a few times then return the bought one if all is well after completely cycling on and off a couple of times. Just have plan B there if it does not reset again or just replace it with a new one and call it a day. Edit to say Disengage the bypass if there is one on the meter pan and test test test inside before attempting a breaker replacement.
 
Please don't jump me too hard

Please don't jump me too hard

Ok, if the breaker won't turn on, what can the causes be and why does it automatically mean it won't trip off? If it has never been off, couldn't the on latching mechanism inside the breaker just have been stuck? I know that holding a breaker on manually by hand won't stop it from tripping, could it be that the on latching mechanism has nothing to do with the tripping safety feature? (I really don't know)

Anyone here know the how the inside of the breaker works?
Just trying to learn.
 
Rick Christopherson said:
the lugs are built into the breaker, and that is not something I would feel comfortable messing with hot.
Click to expand...

It could just get weak and trip on less load than its capacity, or like you said not want to reset from off. It's not a real hazard per say unless the wire/breaker were actually undersized for the load or there was a short. But you're a double E, so I don't have to tell YOU that, right. :cool:

You could always pull the meter if you're not comfortable working on the panel hot. Or as you said before call an electrician. :roll:

Don't take offense if it seems I come off like a @#%^@%^ :grin:
 
Rick Christopherson said:
While I was answering a post in another thread, I shut off the main breaker on my Square-D 200 amp homline panel for I believe the first time in 14 years. To my horror, it would not reset and I thought I was going to have to call an electrician :D.

I did manage to get it to reset by holding it in the On position and tapping gently on the case. I don't know enough about the internals of main breakers, but this has me wondering if I shouldn't be concerned. Any thoughts?
Click to expand...

I have had to do that to many NEW breakers over the years. Smacking them on the floor of table works also.
 
Cavie said:
I have had to do that to many NEW breakers over the years. Smacking them on the floor of table works also.
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The only new ones I have seen as you describe were made by GE.

One was in a new power plant we were building. As you can guess, it wasn't a small one. A GE engineer came out and savagely racked the breaker on and off several times and it started working. He said it was a common problem with GE breakers.
 
hardworkingstiff said:
Ok, if the breaker won't turn on, what can the causes be and why does it automatically mean it won't trip off? If it has never been off, couldn't the on latching mechanism inside the breaker just have been stuck? I know that holding a breaker on manually by hand won't stop it from tripping, could it be that the on latching mechanism has nothing to do with the tripping safety feature? (I really don't know)

Anyone here know the how the inside of the breaker works?
Just trying to learn.
Click to expand...

From what I know (by taking a number of breakers apart) they are precision pieces of equipment built from inexpensively stamped out components. Sometimes the combination of tolerances or the residue of the stamping lube can make a breaker sticky or inoperable. The breakers that need to be smacked around a bit before they'll close have, I suspect, parts that stick together from either the stamping lube or the anti-ox oil applied to the parts. In a couple of occasions I've seen a bit of plastic flash fall off of and jam up a critical part.
 
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