Take out the circular knockout on the side or top of the circuit breaker box. Inspect the sides or top of the circuit breaker box to look for a circular piece that has a precut edge around it, also known as the knockout.
Be sure to use a drill bit meant for metal. Put a cable clamp in the hole you just knocked out. Get a cable clamp that matches the size of the knockout on your circuit breaker box, and slide the clamp through the hole.
Screw the locking nut onto the threaded end of the clamp to hold it securely against the box. Feed the wires from the cable through the clamp into the box. Pull the wires into the box completely so you have 1—2 feet 30—61 cm of wire to work with. Install a amp double-pole breaker on the circuit.
A double-pole breaker allows twice the power to run through it as a standard amp single pole breaker, and takes up the same space as 2 single-pole breakers. Find a spot along the line of other breakers where the double-pole breaker will fit. Push in the top of the breaker into the metal clips inside the box so it snaps into place before pushing the bottom into place. Make sure you get a breaker that matches the circuit breaker box brand you have.
Make sure the breaker is off before you install it. Push the ends of the red and black wires in both ports of the breaker. Take the ends of the black and red wires and feed one of them into each of the ports. Tighten the screws on the bottom of the breaker with a screwdriver to hold the wires in place.
Wrap the green and white wires around the screws on the grounding bar. Look on the inside walls of the circuit breaker box to find a bar with multiple screws and wires attached to it, which is the grounding bar. Bend the ends of the green and white wires into hooks and wrap them around separate screws along the bar. Hold the safety panel up to the circuit breaker box so you can find where the new breaker lines up with it. Place the end on your screwdriver over the slots where the breaker would go, and tap the end with a hammer to punch it out.
Pull off the piece of the safety panel you punched out so the breaker fits easily. Screw the cover back on the circuit breaker box before turning it on.
Hold the panel back up against your circuit breaker box and reattach the screws with a screwdriver. Make sure the safety panel sits tightly on the front of the box and that none of the wires are exposed.
Once you finish, turn the main power back on the circuit breaker box so you can use your outlet. Daniel Stoescu Master Electrician. Daniel Stoescu. Get 2 hot wires from 2 different phases along with a ground wire, which must connect to the properly-identified terminals. The ground wire always connect to the green screw. Yes No. Not Helpful 0 Helpful 0. Did you mean Not Helpful 27 Helpful Use a wire nut to cover the neutral and tape it securely. Just connect the hot terminal and ground.
I wired a table saw with the v plug. I changed from a range receptacle to a twist lock receptacle. There was no green wire, so I put the red wire where the green should have been. Was this wrong? Yes, it's wrong. Green is for ground, red is hot. You probably don't have v anymore. Not Helpful 11 Helpful Not Helpful 12 Helpful Technically you can, but you shouldn't. No building code that I know of allows this. Electric water heaters and dryers should always be on their own dedicated circuit.
At the very least, you would be tripping breakers or blowing fuses constantly. In the worst case scenario, you could electrocute someone or burn your house down. Not Helpful 19 Helpful Single phase systems are used mostly in residential panels. If you have ever seen a panel, you would see that there are breakers on both sides of the panel.
Each side is volts, and both sides together are volts. It's called single phase is because you can only have one phase variance between the two wires. Not Helpful 16 Helpful Not Helpful 8 Helpful Matthew Whistleman says:. November 4, at pm. December 4, at pm. Alex says:. March 31, at pm. John Kloster says:.
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It is not safe to install a circuit breaker in an electrical panel that still has power flowing to it. Do not continue if power is present on a circuit breaker other than Service Disconnect or Main circuit breaker, until the power source has been shut off.
Find an unused space next to or between existing circuit breakers. The new circuit breaker you install will need to be placed next to a circuit breaker already in place.
Carefully compare this location to the cover that was removed earlier to make sure it aligns with an unused location on the cover. Part 2. Make sure you have the correct circuit breaker. The panel label will list all the approved types of circuit breakers that can be installed in the panel.
For maximum safety, use only those circuit breakers that are allowed to be installed in the panel. The breaker should be of an ampacity that does not exceed the circuit conductor's rating. This is typically 15 amps for 14 copper, 20 amps for 12 copper and 30 amps for 10 copper conductors or wires. Consult the code book to determine sizes for other circuits. The terminal size should be large enough for the wire to fit.
The need to remove strands of wire to fit the terminal is an indication of an error somewhere along the line. Set the circuit breaker handle to the OFF position. Push the handle towards the OFF position before installing the breaker to ensure your own safety during the installation process. Align the circuit breaker with the bars in the panel.
Once attached, pivot the circuit breaker on the mechanical contact and roll towards the center of the panel - making sure the bus bar of the panel is still aligned with the slot or opening on the circuit breaker case. Firmly press on the circuit breaker to seat it onto the bus bar. Use your thumb to press firmly but gently on the circuit breaker until it snaps into place on the bus bar.
Connect the circuit wiring to the electrical panel. After making sure the circuit breaker is still in the OFF position, connect the white neutral wire and the black hot wire to the breaker. If you're installing a double pole breaker, you'll connect it to both the black and red hot wires.
Just make sure you're using a switch that's designed to be used as a double breaker. Part 3. Remove knockout plates from your cover as needed. Bring the cover up to the panel to compare the new circuit breaker location to the cover openings.
Use a pair of pliers to remove any knockout plates on the cover location where the circuit breaker will be located. Clean all foreign objects out of the panel and reinstall the cover. Remove any tools, wire scraps, or other foreign objects that could cause a short circuit from the interior of the panel.
Then, place the cover on the panel to check that the circuit breaker has fully been seated at both contact points and fits through the cover. Finally, rescrew the cover onto the panel. Turn on the main breaker and test your new circuit breaker.
Standing to the side of the panel, restore power to the panel by setting the Service Disconnect or Main to "On" and then set the new circuit breaker to "On". Check for correct operation of the new circuit light, outlet, etc. Label the circuit breaker. Locate the panel's circuit directory on the inside of the panel door.
Determine the circuit breaker location or "circuit number" and write a description of the circuit load type such as "refrigerator" or a location such as "living room" in the space provided. Be sure to edit the directory if any circuits were moved to install the new circuit. Did you know you can get expert answers for this article?
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