this post was submitted on 12 Jan 2025
139 points (98.6% liked)

Electricians

500 readers
2 users here now

founded 2 years ago
MODERATORS
 

I need to replace a faulty breaker. Here's a picture of my main breaker box. There's no master switch that I can see that shuts off power to all of the breakers.

Following the line up and out of the box, it runs along the basement ceiling and out through a hole in the foundation.

Let me know if you need to see something else.

Edit. Resolved! I found a master switch on the outside of the house in a panel adjacent to the meter. Weird that anyone can just walk up to my house and turn all of the power off.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments
[–] [email protected] 5 points 2 weeks ago (7 children)

The other poster is correct in that the master breaker may be elsewhere. It will be on the path of the two big wires coming put of the top there, wherever it is they go in your house. Probably right on the other side of where the incoming line goes through the wall.

But I actually came here to say I have never once in my life shut off the master to replace a breaker. Remove the hot wire from the dud breaker first and then that circuit is dead. Just don't touch the bus bar in the back of the box and you'll be fine.

If you suspect shenenegans re: things being hot that shouldn't be, you can verify with your multimeter or voltage probe before touching anything.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 weeks ago (2 children)

I have never....shut off the master...

I knew two electricians who used to say this kind of stuff.

[–] JoeyHarrington 6 points 2 weeks ago
load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (5 replies)