How-to guide
How to Reset a Tripped Circuit Breaker Safely
The correct way to reset a tripped breaker, and how to tell when resetting it is the wrong move.
YOU NEED: a flashlight. Dry hands. Dry floor.
- Unplug what tripped it. Bring the circuit back with nothing loading it, so you learn something from what happens next.
- Push the handle fully to OFF first. A tripped breaker rests in a middle position. If you only shove it toward ON it will not re-engage, which is why people think a breaker is “dead” when it is not.
- Push firmly to ON. It should stay put.
- Plug things back in one at a time, giving each a minute. If one device trips it every time, the problem is the device, not the house.
Stop and call if: it trips again immediately with nothing plugged in, the panel is warm, you smell anything, the breaker feels loose or will not stay, or you find yourself resetting the same breaker weekly. Never replace a breaker with a larger one to stop the tripping — the breaker protects the wire in the wall, and that wire cannot carry more.